Mayor Adams Announces New York City has won $40 Million in EPA Grants to Electrify Heavy-Duty Vehicles, School Buses

December 17, 2024

Federal Funding Will Allow City to Replace 55 Diesel Vehicles
With EVs, Doubling City's Existing Heavy-Duty EV Fleet
Will Also Allow City to Add 109 More Electric School Buses to Fleet
City's Heavy Duty Vehicle Electrification Program Will Reduce Annual Emissions by
700 Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide - Equivalent of Planting a Central Park-Sized Forest

NEW YORK - New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced that the city and its partners have won approximately $40 million in competitive grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 2024 Clean Heavy Duty Vehicles Program. The New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services' (DCAS) $17.3 million award will allow the city to replace 55 diesel trucks with electric vehicles (EV), as well as to add 10 additional fast chargers across the city and expand EV training for city mechanics. Additionally, with city support, the New York City School Bus Umbrella Services, Inc. won an approximately $32 million grant to purchase an additional 109 electric school buses for city students. It builds on unprecedented success of the city's Federal Infrastructure Funding Task Force in winning grant funding from the Biden-Harris administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Under Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi's leadership, the task force has secured more than $2.3 billion in grants - $1.3 billion of which were through competitive applications - to support upgrades to New York City's infrastructure and prepare for the impacts of climate change.

"Building a safer city also means protecting New Yorkers from dangerous emissions and the impacts of climate change - and that's exactly what we're doing," said Mayor Adams. "These $40 million in grants - part of the over $2.3 billion in federal infrastructure grants that we've won - will allow us to take dozens of heavy-duty diesel trucks and more than a hundred polluting school buses out of our city's fleet and replace them with clean, zero-emissions vehicles. My thanks to the EPA for these grants, and to all of our city agencies, fellow elected officials, and advocates who made it a reality."

"We continue to make it rain for New York City, this time with $40 million in grants to reduce emissions of our heavy-duty fleet and build on our efforts to electrify our school buses and industrial parks like Hunts Point," said Deputy Mayor Joshi. "Deep thanks to the Biden-Harris administration for working with us to make New York City one of the most prepared cities in the nation, doing our part to protect our planet and spur good green jobs."

"Our school system isn't only educating tomorrow's sustainability leaders-we're also working hard to make our city a greener place for the next generation," said New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. "Thanks to this grant, as our students learn about climate action in school, they can know that the transportation they take to school is also working to support our planet and city. We're grateful to our partners at the EPA for helping us to make this work possible."

"Electric vehicles are the way of the future; they're cleaner, produce zero emissions, and, with over 5,400 already in our fleet, we're showing our commitment on the streets of the city," said DCAS Commissioner Louis A. Molina. "Thanks to this $17 million grant from the EPA, we're not just bolstering the greenest fleet in the nation, we're also investing in the physical infrastructure and the knowledge base needed to maintain it."

Vehicles being replaced with new zero emission models include:

• Diesel-powered food delivery trucks that deliver hot food and supplies to correctional facilities.
• Refuse haulers and mechanical brooms that contribute to the collection of 24 million pounds of recyclables, trash, and compostable material annually citywide.
• Rack trucks, which carry equipment for road repairs and maintenance and traffic control, and attenuator trucks designed to improve work zone safety on roads and highways during road work and construction activities.
• Utility, tapping, valve, and attenuator vehicles, which are used to maintain the infrastructure that provides drinking water and processes wastewater and runoff citywide, including 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels, and aqueducts, 7,500 miles of sewer lines, and 153,000 miles of catch basins.

Beyond the 55 new heavy duty zero emissions vehicles, DCAS will also invest in new workforce development and training to support the maintenance, charging, fueling, and operation of zero-emissions vehicles. This will include driver, mechanic, and other essential personnel training related to the maintenance and operation of new technologies and electrician training to install electric vehicle supply equipment. Ten additional fast chargers will be installed to support DOT electric vehicles citywide, expanding DCAS's largest-in-the-state charging network of more than 2,100 chargers. To date, over 76 percent of the city's fleet - more than 21,000 vehicles - now use sustainable alternative fuels, including electric, hybrid electric, solar, and biofuel.

Through the city's Federal Infrastructure Funding Task Force, the city and its partners have won a wide range of grants, including but not limited to:

• $164 million to help transform the Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a modern, 21st-century maritime port and vibrant mixed-use community hub.
• $127 million, across several successful applications, to acquire nearly 400 electric school buses.
• $117 million to construct the next phase of the Queensway, a new linear park being built on a vacant corridor of the former Long Island Rail Road Rockaway Beach Branch.
• $100 million to construct Cloudburst stormwater management projects in Corona and Kissena - low-lying neighborhoods subject to frequent flooding.
• $96 million to construct a segment of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway along 10th Avenue in Inwood.
• $57 million to help 1-4 family homes and affordable housing developments afford solar panels.
• $25 million to add electric micromobility charging and storage stations to New York City Housing Authority developments.

"This $40 million federal award from our historic environmental legislation is a huge win-win: clean, electric school busses that don't pump dirty diesel fumes into our air and a better, safer ride for our kids. I'm proud to announce more than $40 million in federal grants for New York City to deploy 109 zero-emission school buses and another 55 electric vehicles, install charging equipment, and expand EV training for city workers. This federal investment will help significantly reduce harmful carbon emissions in our communities and upgrade the city's infrastructure," said U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer. "I fought hard to secure funding via the Inflation Reduction Act for this new EPA program to replace existing heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission vehicles while supporting clean vehicle infrastructure and the training of workers to deploy these new zero-emission technologies."

"This funding, awarded to New York City through the EPA's Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program, demonstrates the city's commitment to prioritizing clean energy practices that support good-paying jobs and protect communities overburdened by air pollution," said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. "I am proud to see New York continue to embrace sustainable technologies, and I will continue fighting for federal initiatives that improve our state's infrastructure and mitigate climate change."

"Two years ago, Democrats passed the largest and most aggressive clean energy investment in our nation's history, and New Yorkers are reaping the benefits," said U.S. Representative Dan Goldman said. "I am thrilled that New York City is receiving $40 million in federal grants for zero-emission school buses, sanitation trucks, and charging stations. I applaud our city for securing these critical federal funds and will continue working with all levels of government to direct the resources New York needs to transition us away from foreign oil sources and towards a greener future."

"Today we make a commonsense investment in our children, our health, and our sustainability," said New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. "We have secured $40 million in grants to electrify our fleet, allowing us to add 109 school buses, 55 trucks, and 10 charging stations. That is 164 fewer vehicles spewing exhaust, including from idling buses exacerbating children's asthma. This is part of the success of our Federal Infrastructure Funding Task Force under Deputy Mayor Joshi, through which we have secured $2.3 billion to invest in our city. I am proud to contribute to this effort, helping to secure half a billion dollars to purchase zero-emission school buses. Together, we are going to make emissions history and give New Yorkers the clean air they deserve."

"New York City is already leading the nation by putting clean and sustainable measures into law and practice, and with this new $40 million in grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2024 Clean Heavy Duty Vehicles Program, we can go even further," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "We will continue to work with all branches of government to ensure New York City becomes a clean energy capital, as we combat climate change and its real impacts on our families, specifically those living in historically marginalized areas of Queens and beyond."

"Securing $40 million in federal grants to electrify heavy-duty vehicles and expand our fleet of electric school buses is a critical milestone in New York City's commitment to a greener, more sustainable future," said New York City Council Majority Whip Selvena N. Brooks-Powers. "These investments will reduce harmful emissions, protect public health, and create a healthier environment for our communities. I commend the Administration for their leadership in leveraging federal funding to advance climate resilience and sustainability in our city."

"This historic $40 million investment marks an important step in our commitment to cleaner air and a greener future," said New York City Councilmember James F. Gennaro, chair Committee on Environmental Protection, Resiliency, and Waterfronts. "By replacing diesel trucks with electric vehicles, expanding EV infrastructure, and adding over 100 electric school buses for our students, we are leading the charge toward a more sustainable future for New York City."

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