EPA Grant of $5.7 Million to Support Purchase of Electric Buses in Allegheny County
County Executive Rich Fitzgerald today announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded a $5,666,950 grant to the county’s Health Department which will offset the cost incurred by the Port Authority of Allegheny County in purchasing battery-electric buses.
County Executive, Rich Fitzgerald, said:We are quite fortunate in this community to have so many collaborations that benefit our region – and this announcement is no exception. The application by the Health Department for this funding from the Targeted Airshed Grant (TAG) Program, and the award by the EPA, will go a long way in helping Port Authority continue to transition to a more environmentally-friendly bus fleet, leading to better air quality and a cleaner environment for our citizens and our region.
The Port Authority is purchasing seven 60-foot articulated battery-electric buses and one electric charging station. The buses will be used in the operation of the Authority’s Downtown-Uptown- Oakland-Wilkinsburg Bus Rapid Transit corridor, which is expected to be in operation by the end of 2022.
Director of the Health Department, Dr. Debra Bogen, said:The Health Department is excited to help Port Authority transition to cleaner transportation in Allegheny County. This is a small but important step toward cleaner air for all.
The nearly $5.7 million grant represents the largest award to date by the EPA to Allegheny County under the Targeted Airshed Grant Program. In 2010, the EPA awarded the Health Department $2.9 million for pollution reducing efforts in the industrial Mon Valley area through the Targeted Airshed Grant Program.
Port Authority CEO, Katharine Kelleman, said:Receiving this grant will help us put electric vehicles in densely-populated areas with high public transit ridership. We are grateful to the Allegheny County Health Department for submitting this application on our behalf as we continue to move toward a more environmentally-friendly fleet.
The EPA’s Targeted Airshed Grant (TAG) Program funds projects that benefit the environment by reducing carbon emissions in areas with historically poor air quality. The EPA selected the Health Department’s application through a competitive grant program.
This article was originally published by Allegheny County.
