DALLAS -- The Federal Transit Administration will provide $22.5 million of clean-vehicle technology grants to seven transit agencies in five states for the acquisition of low- and no-emission buses.
The green transit technology grant program was authorized in 2012 by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act and renewed by the recently enacted Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.
The five-year FAST Act merged the funding and management of the Low or No Emission Vehicle Deployment (Low-No) Program, which had been part of FTA's research program, into an existing transit grant program.
The latest round of grants from Low-No program is funded from the FTA's fiscal 2015 budget.
The grants focus on supporting the commercialization of energy-efficient, low-emission vehicle technology, said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
The program encourages the adoption of green technologies in transit buses, such as hydrogen fuel cells and electric and hybrid engines, he said.
"The Department of Transportation is proud to build on the successful Low-No program to put more American-made, energy-efficient buses into service across America," Foxx said. "This administration is committed to investing in an economy powered by clean transportation."
President Obama's fiscal 2017 budget request released in February proposed a $300 billion, 10-year green transportation program that would be funded with a $10.25 per barrel tax on crude oil.
But the Senate Appropriations Committee last week approved Transportation Department appropriations for fiscal 2017 that do not include the $2.5 billion of green transportation funding sought by Obama for the first of those ten years.
The Low-No grants are awarded on a competitive basis to transit agencies and state transportation departments working either independently or jointly with bus manufacturers that offer low- and no-emission buses, said acting FTA administrator Carolyn Flowers.
The green bus grants program builds on FTA's successful national fuel cell bus program, which invested in the research, development, and testing of alternative fuels and related equipment for the transit industry, she said.
"The Low-No program has helped deploy environmentally sound, technologically advanced vehicles across the country, providing a better riding experience for passengers and improving public health," Flowers said. "These grant awards will help create new jobs and support a growing industry of domestic manufacturers who are developing advanced technologies to power public transportation for the future."
The Utah Transit Agency's $5.4 million grant will allow it to partner with the University of Utah to acquire five battery-powered buses. The no-emission buses will serve the route connecting the university's main campus with Salt Lake City.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will use its $4.3 million grant to purchase five battery-powered, no-emission buses and build eight charging stations. The electric bus infrastructure will be deployed along the Metro Orange Line bus rapid transit corridor in Los Angeles.
The Stark Area Regional Transit Authority in Ohio received a $4 million Low-No grant to purchase three no-emission buses powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority will buy 25 no-emission all-electric buses for use on bus routes in Philadelphia with its $2.6 million Low-No grant.
The eight battery-powered buses that King County Metro Transit plans to purchase with its $3.3 million grant will allow it to operate two routes in Seattle entirely with no-emission vehicles.
Successful applicants for the fiscal 2016 round of green bus grants totaling $55 million will be announced this summer. The FTA in February 2015 awarded $55 million of the grants to 10 transit agencies in the first funding round.
