Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun announced Monday that the city has been awarded grants of $123,000 and $66,885 from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management through its 2025 DieselWise Indiana Emission Reduction Program.
With the $123,000, the city’s engineering department has added three new electric vehicles to the municipal fleet. This upgrade will lower gas expenses for the department. Replaced vehicles will be sold as surplus or repurposed for other departments.
The $66,885 will be used to support the replacement of two aging diesel-powered fleet vehicles with new and cleaner alternatives. A streets department diesel-powered dump truck will be replaced with a new clean diesel model, and a light-duty excavator in the cemetery department will be replaced with a new clean diesel alternative.
No local property tax dollars or income tax dollars were used on these purchases, Sakbun emphasized.
“The state of Indiana and EPA continue to invest in our city,” Sakbun said. “This provides much-needed budget relief from a local standpoint while moving the city toward more efficient equipment.”
The grants help create long-term savings and a smarter, greener city infrastructure for the future, the city said. The new vehicles will feature certified clean diesel technology, helping to reduce harmful emissions and improve air quality.
All equipment funded under this program must be certified or verified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Sakbun said the city will continue to pursue federal grants.
Terre Haute Regional Airport was also awarded $166,500 to replace two old, polluting diesel engines used to mow the airfield, Executive Director Craig Maschino said.