MEDIA CONTACT: DEP Press Team, ra-epnews@pa.gov
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today awarded $2.9 million in 2022 Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant funding to municipalities, schools, and businesses around the state to switch to zero- or low-emission vehicles.
The DEP Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) program supports projects to replace older gasoline or diesel fueled vehicles with cleaner fuel vehicles and install related fueling infrastructure to improve air quality in Pennsylvania. It builds on Governor Shapiro's agenda to create a bold, comprehensive climate and energy plan that will grow Pennsylvania's economy, protect and create jobs, and address climate change.
The 28 funded projects will install 32 electric vehicle chargers for private and public use and put 95 electric vehicles, 24 compressed or renewable natural gas vehicles, and 11 propane vehicles on the road.
Nine of the vehicles will be fully electric long-haul tractor trailers, the first supported by the AFIG program. Several other projects are for transit buses and garbage trucks. These three types of vehicles are the biggest consumers of gasoline, according to the U.S. Department of Energy web page on average annual gasoline use by vehicle type.
The projects will be fully paid for with DEP funds. DEP receives approximately $5 million in funding each year through the utilities gross receipts tax collected during each fiscal year to carry out the provisions of the Alternative Fuels Incentive Act.
"The Shapiro Administration is committed to supporting municipalities, school districts, and businesses that want to make zero- or low-emission transportation part of their operations," said DEP Secretary Rich Negrin. "The range of funded projects—our first funded electric 18-wheelers, a 40-car electric taxi fleet, electric scooters for a residential development, propane and electric buses and garbage trucks, and more—shows that interest in clean transportation is burgeoning among business and community leaders in Pennsylvania. DEP is excited to help them include healthier air quality in their mission."
The projects by county are as follows:
Montgomery, Schuylkill, and York
- Current Trucking LLC: $300,000 for this contractor for FedEx Ground to purchase three electric long-haul tractor trailers.
- Evolve Logistics Group: $300,000 for this contractor for FedEx Ground to purchase three electric long-haul tractor trailers.
Allegheny
- 50 26th Street: $28,500 to purchase three electric cars and three electric scooters for residents' use in a planned residential development on Pittsburgh's South Side.
- Duquesne Light Company: $90,000 for the purchase of 12 electric pickup trucks.
- IE PA I LLC: $300,000 to install eight DC electric vehicle fast chargers for use by the zTrip taxi fleet.
- WHC PA LLC: $300,000 for the purchase of 40 electric cars to operate the zTrip taxi fleet.
Berks
- K.L. Harring Transportation: $300,000 for this contractor to Bayer Pharmaceuticals to purchase three electric long-haul tractor trailers.
Bucks
- Middletown Township: $15,000 to buy two electric cars for use by the township's building and code enforcement inspectors.
- Solebury Township: $7,500 to buy one electric car for use by the township codes department.
Butler
- T.C. Recycling LLC: $120,000 for six renewable natural gas garbage trucks.
- Vogel Disposal Service: $120,000 for six renewable natural gas garbage trucks.
Centre
- Patton Township: $7,500 to purchase an electric car for use by the township department of engineering, planning and zoning.
Chester
- Chester County: $72,464 to install eight dual-port Level 2 electric vehicle chargers across six county facilities.
- East Pikeland Township: $15,000 to purchase one electric car and one electric pickup truck for the township police force.
Cumberland
- Carlisle Borough: $37,500 for the purchase of five electric pickup trucks and light passenger trucks for use by the Borough's Codes department, administrative staff, and police department.
- Cumberland County: $60,000 to buy six electric cars, one electric pickup truck, and one electric transit van for use by several county departments, including facilities, probation, and county conservation districts and $13,233 to install six level 2 chargers at two locations.
Dauphin
- Derry Township School District: $70,000 for seven propane school buses as part of their Propane School Bus Conversion Project.
Delaware
- Springfield Ford, Inc.: $292,628 to install three DC fast chargers and six Level 2 chargers for electric vehicles for their proposed rental fleet as well as for public use.
Lebanon
- Lebanon County Housing Authority: $15,000 for the purchase of one electric car and one electric transit van.
Mercer
- Tri-County Industries, Inc.: $120,000 to purchase six renewable natural gas garbage trucks.
Montgomery
- Bryn Mawr College: $100,000 to buy its first electric bus as part of the college's goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2035.
- Lower Merion Township: $22,500 to purchase one electric car and two electric pickup trucks for municipal and police use.
- School District of Springfield Township: $100,000 for an electric school bus.
- Suburban Transit Network, Inc.: $11,250 for two electric transit vans and $10,854 to install one Level 2 electric vehicle charger.
- Tri-County Transit Service, Inc.: $120,000 to purchase four propane transit buses.
Westmoreland
- DMJ Transportation, Inc.: $9,921 for the purchase of six compressed natural gas school buses.
Fifteen of the projects will serve environmental justice communities.
The AFIG program supports the transition to alternative fuels including electricity, compressed natural gas, renewable natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane, hydrogen, hythane, biodiesel, ethanol, methanol, and other advanced biofuels.
Getting more zero- and low-emission vehicles on the road in Pennsylvania helps reduce harmful air pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds. It also helps lower the level of carbon dioxide, helping to address climate change.
Gasoline and diesel vehicles generate 47 percent of nitrogen oxides emissions in Pennsylvania, contributing to ground-level ozone. This affects the health of children, older people, people who work or are active outdoors, and people with asthma, emphysema, or other lung conditions. The transportation sector makes up 22 percent of Pennsylvania's total greenhouse gas emissions.
These new grant awards are the second and final set of 2022 AFIG grants, following the first set of 2022 AFIG grants, totaling $1.5 million, announced in February.
The AFIG program was established under Act 166 of 1992 to help create new markets for alternative fuels in Pennsylvania, increasing energy security and improving air quality.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, please visit the website or follow DEP on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
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