By Joseph Bebon, NGT News.

Long Beach Transit (LBT) has received a $600,000 grant from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC) of the South Coast Air Quality Management District Near Zero Incentive Program for the purchase of 40 “near zero” compressed natural gas (CNG) engines.

The Long Beach, Calif.-based transit agency says the engines are upgrades to a recent bus procurement, as the “near zero” engines were not available when the purchase was authorized in 2016.

According to LBT, the buses will be equipped with the Cummins Westport 8.9 liter engine that is certified by the California Air Resources Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to meet or exceed optional and more stringent near zero standards.