The grant funding fell far short of the $8.7 billion requested by transit agencies.
“The Federal Transit Administration announced Monday nearly $1.7 billion in grants under the Buses and Bus Facilities and Low- and No-Emission Vehicle programs for transit projects in 46 states and territories.” According to a brief by Dan Zukowski in Smart Cities Dive, the agency received $8.7 billion in applications.
The ‘Low-No’ program has been criticized by Transportation for America for “artificially constraining the conversion to zero-emission vehicles” by requiring that 25 percent of funding go toward low-emission projects. “Transportation for America found that while 88% of grant applications were for zero-emission buses and facilities, more than two-thirds of those applications were rejected, while nearly 100% of applications for projects for diesel hybrid and compressed natural gas buses were approved.”
During a press call, FTA Deputy Administrator Veronica Vanterpool said many of the low-emission projects are in rural areas where the infrastructure for zero-emission vehicles is less available.
Agencies awarded in this round include King County Metro in Seattle, the Ohio Department of Transportation, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
FULL STORY: $1.7B for cleaner transit buses, bus facilities awarded by FTA
New Round of Federal Clean Transit Funding Announced
Two federal grants will award close to $1.7 billion to state and local agencies to replace aging transit fleets and boost workforce development initiatives.
USDOT Announces $2B in Grants for Transit Buses, Favoring Hybrids Over Electric Options
The new round of grants for buses and facility upgrades doesn’t include any for battery-electric buses, favoring instead diesel-electric hybrids and CNG buses.
Santa Monica starts work on $56M electric bus project
Big Blue Bus plans to fully electrify its fleet by 2032.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association