Funding Announced for Transit Projects to Reduce Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The U.S. DOT announced $100 million in Economic Recovery Act funding for 43 transit agencies on Sept. 21. Transit providers nationwide competed for the $100 million in stimulus funding under the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) program. The criteria for choosing the winning proposals included reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, return on investment, readiness to implement, applicant capacity, degree of innovation, and national applicability.

Much of the funding went to urban transit agencies, but some went to small urban and rural areas as well. For example, Productive Alternatives/Transit Alternatives of Fergus Falls, MN received $845,000 for a variety of building energy-efficiency upgrades, hybrid vehicle upgrades, wind generator power systems, and the equipment needed to convert cooking oil to a blend with vehicle fuel to operate some of their buses. The Thunder Bay Transportation Authority in Alpena, MI received $2.59 million to replace 4 diesel buses with 4 series plug-in hybrid buses. Data on operating hybrid buses in a non-urban/rural area will also be collected over a two-year span.