President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes funding to expand the availability of clean buses in communities across the country
WASHINGTON — At an event with Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Federal Transit Administration Administrator Nuria Fernandez this week announced the availability of approximately $1.47 billion in competitive grant funds to help modernize bus fleets and facilities across the country, which will support good-paying jobs and help reduce carbon emissions, leading to cleaner air, healthier communities, and better transportation.
“This is another example of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in action. We’re making the largest ever investment in this program for buses and bus facilities, helping to deliver better commutes and cleaner air to American communities,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
The combined announcement is the first FTA competitive grant opportunity under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to modernize our nation’s transportation infrastructure, create and maintain good-paying jobs, and combat climate change as we build out clean energy fleets.
FTA’s Low or No Emission (Low-No) Grant Program makes funding available to help transit agencies purchase or lease U.S.-built low or no emission vehicles that use advanced technologies, including related equipment or facilities, for transit revenue operations. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $5.5 billion over five years for the Low-No Program — more than 10 times greater than the previous five years of funding. For Fiscal Year 2022, approximately $1.1 billion will be available for grants under this program.
FTA’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program makes funding available to help transit agencies purchase and rehabilitate buses, vans, and related equipment, and build bus facilities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides nearly $2 billion over five years for the Bus and Bus Facilities Program. For Fiscal Year 2022, approximately $372 million for grants will be available under this program.
“Manufacturing thousands of new, American-built buses will create jobs all over our nation, offering cleaner, faster and safer rides as we move toward a better transportation future,” said FTA Administrator Fernandez. “When transit agencies are applying for these grants, they will propose projects that address climate change, improve air quality, open new opportunities and include workforce training to help workers transition to operating and maintaining these new, clean energy fleets.”
The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act, is the Biden–Harris Administration’s plan for building a better America with a historic investment in our nation’s infrastructure and competitiveness. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will rebuild America’s roads, bridges and rails, upgrade and expand public transit, modernize the nation’s ports and airports, improve safety, tackle the climate crisis, advance environmental justice, and invest in communities that have too often been left behind. It will drive the creation of good-paying union jobs and grow the economy sustainably and equitably to help everyone get ahead for decades to come.
As part of the Administration’s focus on advancing environmental justice and spurring economic opportunity for disadvantaged communities, FTA is encouraging applicants to provide information on how their proposed project will support the Justice40 Initiative by identifying disadvantaged communities that the projects will benefit through jobs, increased safety, resiliency, access to transit, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. This will allow FTA to better understand the impacts that selected projects will have supporting America’s communities.
As part of FTA’s commitment to helping transit workers prepare for technological advancements, five percent of each grant under the Low-No program must be used for workforce development and training. FTA’s new Transit Workforce Center will also be releasing tools to help agencies do this. FTA is encouraging workforce development plans that are developed in partnership with labor and the use of registered apprenticeships. Zero-emission projects, in particular, are able to use five percent of their funding for workforce development.
Instructions for applying can be found on FTA’s website and in GRANTS.GOV (funding opportunity FTA 2022-001-TPM-LWNO for Low-No and FTA 2022-002-TPM-BUSC for Buses and Bus Facilities). Complete proposals must be submitted electronically through the GRANTS.GOV “APPLY” function by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 31, 2022.
Courtesy of Federal Transit Administration.
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