DALLAS -- Twenty transit providers in 13 states will reduce their carbon footprints by using $55 million of competitive federal smog-busting grants to replace their aging diesel buses with low and no-emission vehicles.
Local agencies can use the grants to acquire battery-electric or fuel cell-powered buses along with supporting facilities and infrastructure such as maintenance facilities and recharging equipment, said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
The Low or No Emission Vehicle Grants are available because the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (PL 114-95) more than doubled the amount of funding for the attempt to reduce air pollution through efficient bus transit networks, Foxx said.
The FAST Act, which was enacted in early December 2015, converted an existing bus emissions research effort into annual Low-No grants as part the Federal Transit Administration's bus and bus facilities program. The Low-No grants are funded at $55 million per year through fiscal 2020.
"Our Low-No program is putting more American-made, energy-efficient buses into service across the country," Foxx said Wednesday in announcing the grant awards. "By placing more modernized, non-polluting buses on the roads, we are improving the rider experience and continuing to extend ladders of opportunity to people who take public transportation every day."
Almost half of the buses in the U.S. public transit fleet are already using alternative fuels or hybrid technology, according to the American Public Transportation Association.
The latest survey found that 46.9% of transit buses are not powered by gasoline or diesel while only 2.5% of automobiles rely on alternative fuels, APTA said.
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority will use its $2.5 million grant to purchase battery electric, zero-emission buses and fast-charging stations and upgrade a maintenance facility, said chief executive officer Nuria Fernandez.
"As the transit agency serving Silicon Valley, the most emblematic innovation hub in the world, it is our role to provide our communities with the most forward-thinking mobility solutions on the market," Fernandez said.
The Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works will receive a $2.4 million grant to purchase electric buses. The no-emissions buses will replace part of a fleet that now has 70% of its diesel buses operating beyond their expected useful life.
The Chicago Transit Authority will replace four diesel buses with battery-powered electric buses equipped with en route charging capabilities from its $3.6 million Low-No grant.
The new high-tech buses that agencies will acquire with the Low-No grants will be the "latest and greatest" and provide cleaner air and lower costs in the long run, said FTA acting administrator Carolyn Flowers.
"New technologies are not just the latest shiny new toys," she said. "When tested and demonstrated properly, they can help solve critical issues facing our communities, our nation, and even the world."
More than 100 applications were received for the fiscal 2016 Low-No grants, she said.
"By investing in new technology bus fleets, we help transition an industry that many depend on to a model of green, efficient service," Flowers said.
In a separate smog-busting effort, the Federal Highway Administration earlier this week asked state and local transportation officials to identify major roads as alternative fuel corridors where motorists can find plug-in charging stations and alternative fuels such as hydrogen, propane, and natural gas.
The designated corridors would fulfill a requirement in the FAST Act, Foxx said.
"Making sure drivers with alternative fuel vehicles can use the national highway system, rather than being limited only to local areas, is the next step in advancing America's transportation network," he said.
The FHWA intends to make formal corridor designations with special road signs similar to those on existing U.S. routes, said administrator Gregory Nadeau.
