The US Environmental Protection Agency announced the launch of the nearly one billion dollars Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program to fund the replacement of certain polluting heavy-duty units with zero-emission ones.
Funded through the Inflation Reduction Act under President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, EPA will award competitive grants for projects that will reduce climate and air pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, support good-paying jobs and improve air quality for communities across the country.
“EPA’s Program will slash climate and air pollution and enhance the country’s infrastructure by funding the deployment of zero-emissions units and installation of supporting infrastructure,” states EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan.
“The program’s historic investment will secure our nation’s position as a global leader in clean technologies that address the impacts of climate change,” he adds.
“The funding will catalyze projects that bring electric school buses, garbage trucks, and delivery vans to neighborhoods across America,” says John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy.
The 2024 Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program will support the adoption and deployment of eligible Class 6 and 7 zero-emission units while also funding zero-emission vehicle fueling infrastructure and workforce development and training.
Across the nation, over three million Class 6 and 7 vehicles are currently in use, including school buses, refuse haulers, and utility and delivery trucks.
The Program will help advance the President’s commitment to environmental justice and the Justice40 Initiative, which sets the goal that 40 per cent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments in climate, clean energy, and other areas flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
In the United States, the transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and a leading source of health-harming pollution.
Most of the vehicles eligible for replacement are powered by internal combustion engines that pre-date recent EPA emission standards.
These units emit harmful pollutants like nitrogen oxide, fine particulate matter, and greenhouse gases.
To meet the needs of diverse potential recipients and encourage participation in this grant opportunity, EPA is providing two separate sub-program competitions under this single Notice of Funding Opportunity:
- The School Bus Sub-Program for applicants replacing school buses.
- The Vocational Vehicles Sub-Program for applicants replacing non-school bus Class 6 and 7 vehicles – including box trucks, refuse haulers, dump trucks, street sweepers, delivery trucks, bucket trucks, and utility trucks.
EPA anticipates approximately 70 percent of available funding will be for projects under the School Bus Sub-Program and approximately 30 percent of available funding will be for projects under the Vocational Vehicles Sub-Program.
Eligible applicants for both competitions include States, municipalities (including school districts), Indian Tribes, territories, and nonprofit school transportation associations.
EPA anticipates awarding at least 15 grants to eligible applicants from Tribes and territories.
Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act statute requires that at least 400 million dollars of the program’s funding go to projects that will serve one or more communities dealing with significant pollution as defined by EPA’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
This funding opportunity builds on the success of previous programs implemented by EPA, including the historic Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program, which reduces harmful emissions from older diesel engines, and the Clean School Bus Program, which funds clean and electric school buses under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The deadline to apply for the 2024 Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program is July 25, 2024.
EPA expects to announce awards by the end of this year.
