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DEC Contact: Maureen Wren (518) 402-8000 March 20, 2020
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DEC AND NYSERDA ANNOUNCE $24 MILLION IN VOLKSWAGEN SETTLEMENT FUNDS TO SUPPORT ALL-ELECTRIC TRANSIT BUSES IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIESNew York Truck Voucher Incentive Program Will Help Replace Older, Heavily Polluting Diesel Transit Buses with New All-Electric Transit Buses |
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Funding for New York Power Authority to Install Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure for New All-Electric Transit Buses
“Clean Transportation NY” Plan for Settlement Funds Invests Resources to Reduce Pollution and Bolster Clean Transportation Within Environmental Justice Areas
Multi-Agency Effort Will Invest in All-Electric Transit Buses to Support State’s Goal to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions 40 Percent by 2030 and Economy-Wide Carbon Neutrality by 2050
DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “The transportation sector remains the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New York, and by taking action to remove the worst polluters from our roads, communities across the state will benefit, especially those overburdened by pollution in our cities. I thank Governor Cuomo for his ongoing leadership in promoting green and renewable technologies and providing incentives to improve our air quality, reduce emissions, and create a sustainable future for New York’s transportation industry.”
Alicia Barton, President and CEO, NYSERDA said, “The Truck Voucher Incentive Program enables us to support fleet owners in their efforts to add cleaner, more efficient trucks and buses that support the state’s nation-leading efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under Governor Cuomo’s Green New Deal. Supporting a statewide effort to increase the use of all-electric busses and ramping up electric vehicle charging stations gives fleet owners the confidence they need to go greener and cleaner with their vehicles and hastens our ability to ultimately eliminate New York State’s carbon footprint.”
NYPA President and CEO Gil C. Quiniones said, “We are pleased to be working with DEC and multiple transit agencies to implement charging solutions for their new electric bus fleet deployments. The greening of public buses, with their high mileage and extensive travel in populated urban areas, is a key element in New York State’s strategy for making significant air quality improvements and meeting established carbon reduction goals. And NYPA’s expertise with the deployment of fast chargers, particularly under our EVolveNY program, directly applies to the electrification of heavy-duty fleets.”
Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “Creating a transportation network that is safe, reliable and environmentally sustainable is at the heart of DOT’s core mission and this funding will help to achieve that goal. Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, New York State is making smart investments that spur innovation in transportation, while growing the economy and creating a greener future for all New Yorkers.”
Funding is available to replace existing diesel-powered transit buses with model year 2009 and older engines, which must be permanently removed from service and scrapped. Transit bus replacements are targeted at New York State government entity-owned bus fleets that have bus depots located within Potential Environmental Justice Areas (PEJAs), or operate routes that serve PEJA areas. DEC considers PEJAs to be communities of color or low-income communities that experience a disproportionate share of environmental harms such as vehicle emissions and pollution.
The transit bus replacement funds will be administered through NYSERDA’s New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program (NYTVIP), which provides point-of-sale rebates to reduce the cost for businesses and municipalities that want to purchase new, clean electric or alternative-fueled vehicles (e.g., commercial trucks and buses). The rebate will initially reduce the incremental cost of purchasing all-electric transit buses by up to 100 percent and help increase the number of all-electric transit buses on New York’s roadways while removing older diesel-powered vehicles trucks through a scrappage requirement. These new all-electric transit buses will be required to be housed at bus depots or operate on routes located within Environmental Justice communities.
Assemblyman Michael Cusick, Chair of the Assembly Energy Committee, said, “This additional funding is a welcome boost to New York’s efforts to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, improve our public transit system, and create environmental benefits for people living all across our great state.” |
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