Ohio EPA, ODOT announce $9.7M in diesel emission reduction grants
Ohio EPA and the Ohio Department of Transportation recently announced more than $9.7 million in grants will be awarded to four local transit authorities to replace 23 aging diesel transit buses.
Ohio EPA estimates this year’s grants will remove 1.45 tons of air pollutants annually to help counties meet and maintain federal air quality standards.
Grant recipients are:
• Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), Franklin County, $2,666,167 for 80 percent of the cost to replace three 2011 model year diesel-powered transit buses with three new battery electric transit buses;
• Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA), Cuyahoga County, $2,375,449 for 61 percent of the cost to replace six 2014 diesel-powered transit buses with six new compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered transit buses;
• METRO Regional Transit Authority (METRO RTA), Summit County, $2,160,000 for 80 percent of the cost to replace 10 2019 diesel-powered transit buses with 10 new electric-powered transit buses;
• Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA), Hamilton County, $2,498,453 for 66 percent of the cost to replace four 2012-2013 diesel-powered transit buses with four new diesel-electric hybrid-powered transit buses;
The grants are funded from federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) dollars allocated to Ohio by the Federal Highway Administration. The organizations receiving grants were selected by a committee of Ohio EPA and Ohio Department of Transportation representatives.
The next opportunity to submit grant applications online is fall 2024. The Request for Proposals will be posted on Ohio EPA’s Diesel Emission Reduction Grants page.
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