Eight trucks in Orcas Power & Light Cooperative’s (OPALCO’s) fleet will be retrofitted with Diesel Oxidation Catalysts (DOC) catalytic mufflers to reduce particulates from diesel exhaust thanks to a grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology.

According to the Department of Ecology, the DOCs “reduce particulate emissions by about one third and toxic emissions by more than one half. DOCs require no maintenance, do not affect fuel economy, nor cause any power loss for vehicles.”

Operations Manager Todd Shaner will oversee the project, which could take between 10 and 16 months to complete. “We are thrilled to be selected for this grant,” said Shaner. “In addition to doing our part for clean air and climate change, we are also creating a safer environment for our crews in the field—and for our members throughout the county where these vehicles are at work.”

San Juan and Lopez Islands will each have two of their line trucks and a service truck retrofitted. Two line trucks on Orcas will also be retrofitted.

OPALCO is a member-owned cooperative electrical utility serving more than 10,000 islanders on 20 islands in San Juan County. OPALCO provides electricity that is 97 percent greenhouse-gas free and is predominately generated by hydro-electric plants. OPALCO was founded in 1937 to bring electricity to rural islanders and is one of 900 electric co-ops in the United States today.