The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy is offering a second round of funding to promote the replacement of commercial diesel vehicles with cleaner alternative fuel ones.
$16 million of funding from the Volkswagen diesel settlement has been allocated to EGLE’s Fuel Transformation Program.
Its goal is to replace medium and heavy-duty diesel trucks, shuttle and transit buses and port transportation vehicles with ones that run on cleaner energy. School buses are not eligible for the funding.
EGLE Public Information Officer Nick Assendelft says the program also aims to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions and improve air quality.
“Bigger picture is that all of these, kind of, fit into the effort to make sure that we’re cutting down on pollutants from vehicles which cleans the air which is a healthy thing for everybody.”
It’s one of many initiatives designed to make it easier for municipalities and businesses to think greener.
The Capital Area Transportation Authority received a more than $2.4 million grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration last year as part of a different program.
The money went towards 3 electric buses and a charging infrastructure.
CATA Director of Planning and Development Matt Oudesma says the money helped kickstart the organization’s plans to move towards renewable sources of energy.
“This gives us the opportunity to look at electric buses and start in a small way down that path.”
The application window for the Fuel Transformation Program runs through Aug. 20, 2021.
McKoy's story is brought to you as part of a partnership between WKAR and Michigan State University's Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.
