The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) launched “Electrifying Truck Fleets for Cleaner Air in Our Communities,” a $12.7 million Driving PA Forward initiative to improve air quality by supporting local freight truck electrification.
Projects serving environmental justice areas, high traffic density areas, and Act 47 financially distressed municipalities are a top priority for funding.
“Our newest Driving PA Forward initiative aims to support transformational scale electrification of local trucks to improve air quality in communities with some of the highest air pollution levels in Pennsylvania,” said DEP Acting secretary Ramez Ziadeh. “A growing number of communities are proactively pursuing healthier air quality and greenhouse emission reductions. They’re interested in zero-emission electric options for the kinds of trucks that travel their neighborhoods on a regular basis. To help their transition to electric vehicles, DEP will provide at least 75 percent and, in some cases, 100 percent of funding to electrify local freight truck fleets.”
In addition, DEP announced $1.7 million in Driving PA Forward State Clean Diesel Grants to three projects to replace old diesel trucks with zero- or low-emission trucks.
Driving PA Forward is the set of grant and rebate programs the Wolf Administration established in 2018 with Pennsylvania’s share of the national settlement with Volkswagen Group of America for cheating on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions tests. To date, more than $70 million in Driving PA Forward funding has been awarded to reduce air pollution by replacing old diesel vehicles with cleaner transportation options and encouraging the adoption of zero-emission vehicles by investing in electric vehicle charging infrastructure statewide.
A total of $12.7 million is available to local governments, businesses, and nonprofits to replace at least five old diesel trucks with new, all-electric versions. (For smaller fleets, an exception may be made to support three electric trucks.)
Funding will cover local freight trucks, such as garbage, recycling, utility, and delivery trucks, as well as charging infrastructure and installation. Grantees will have two years to scrap their old diesel vehicles and get the new electric truck fleets on the road.
DEP will provide 90 percent of project funding to local municipalities, or 100 percent if a municipality is in Act 47 financially distressed status. DEP will provide 75 percent of project funding to nongovernment applicants.
Projects that are located in or serve communities in Environmental Justice areas and high traffic density areas are a top priority.
Grant recipients will provide data on how they purchased their electric trucks and installed charging and, once the vehicles go into use, operational data on fleet performance.
State Clean Diesel Grants Awarded to Three Electric Truck Projects
In addition, DEP awarded $1.7 million in Driving PA Forward State Clean Diesel Grants to three projects to replace old diesel trucks with zero- or low-emission trucks.
•SMS Mill Services: $1,176,367. The steel scrap recycler will replace three older diesel aggregate material handlers with three new all-electric material handlers at its facility in Coatesville, Chester County. The project annually will remove an estimated 1.315 tons of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), 954 pounds of carbon monoxide, 238 pounds of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), 249 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), and other pollutants from the air in an environmental justice area.
•Metalico Pittsburgh: $499,202. The scrap metal processor will replace one older diesel material handler and one older diesel material loader with a new, all-electric handler and a new, clean-diesel loader at its facility on Neville Island, which is an environmental justice area. The project annually will remove an estimated 5.25 tons of NOx, 52 tons of carbon monoxide, 596 pounds of PM2.5, 400 tons of CO2, and other pollutants from the air.
•Dietz & Watson: $83,250. The delicatessen foods company will replace one older diesel transportation refrigeration unit (TRU) with a new, all-electric TRU at its facility on Tacony Street in Philadelphia. TRUs are used to refrigerate perishable goods in on-road trailers and shipping containers. The project annually will remove an estimated 422 pounds of NOx, 146 pounds of carbon monoxide, 34 pounds of PM2.5, 24 tons of CO2, and other pollutants from the air.
Published in the January 2023 Edition