NYSDOT Announces $101 Million in Federal Funds Available for 'Clean Fuel' Transit

ALBANY, NY (07/28/2011)(readMedia)-- New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Joan McDonald announced that transit operators are eligible to apply for $101.4 million in federal funding for projects that create "green" jobs, promote the use of clean fuel and reduce oil dependency.

"Transit plays an integral role in our transportation system, relieving congestion and reducing green house gases by removing cars from the highways across New York State," Commissioner McDonald said. "Innovative new clean-fuel technologies and environmentally-sustainable transit projects could get a big boost with this funding, which is why I encourage operators to apply."

NYSDOT is notifying operators about the grant opportunities and will write letters of support for the most worthy project applications to reinforce New York State's commitment to clean fuel and environmentally-friendly transit projects, and to secure as many federal dollars as possible for green transit programs in the State.

The money is part of the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Fiscal Year 2011 Sustainability Initiative, which includes funding from two programs: $51.5 million from FTA's Clean Fuels Grant Program and $49.9 million from FTA's Transit Investment in Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) III Program.

Clean Fuels grant recipients will be chosen through a competitive selection process based on their ability to help communities achieve or maintain the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone and carbon monoxide, while supporting emerging clean fuel and advanced propulsion technologies for transit buses. TIGGER III grants, which also will use a competitive selection process, will be awarded based on a project's ability to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and provide a return on the investment. The deadline for applications for both programs is August 23.

Last year, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority received two of the 63 grants awarded to projects from among 273 applications across the country. The New York City-based transit agency was awarded a $5.8 million Clean Fuels Formula grant to replace and upgrade the fueling infrastructure at a compressed natural gas station at the MTA Long Island Bus facility in Garden City. A $4 million TIGGER award was granted for a project to utilize innovative battery technology to capture wasted braking energy and reuse it to power rail vehicles.

More information on the grant programs and how to apply is available at http://www.fta.dot.gov/funding/grants_financing_7829.html.