The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) awarded $2.9 million in Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant funding to municipalities, schools, and businesses around the state to switch to zero-or low-emission vehicles.
The DEP Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) program supports projects to replace older gasoline or diesel fueled vehicles with cleaner fuel vehicles and install related fueling infrastructure to improve air quality in Pennsylvania.
The 28 funded projects will install 32 electric vehicle chargers for private and public use and put 95 electric vehicles, 24 compressed or renewable natural gas vehicles, and 11 propane vehicles on the road.
Nine of the vehicles will be fully electric long-haul tractor trailers, the first supported by the AFIG program. Several other projects are for transit buses and garbage trucks. These three types of vehicles are the biggest consumers of gasoline, according to the U.S. Department of Energy and per average annual gasoline use by vehicle type.
The projects will be fully paid for with DEP funds. The DEP receives approximately $5 million in funding each year through the utilities gross receipts tax collected during each fiscal year. Fifteen of the projects will serve environmental justice communities.
The AFIG program supports the transition to alternative fuels including electricity, compressed natural gas, renewable natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane, hydrogen, hythane, biodiesel, ethanol, methanol, and advanced biofuels.