Adam RollinsThis story was originally published in the Government Contracting Pipeline newsletter from Strategic Partnerships, Inc. To have the latest government contracting news stories from across the country delivered straight to your inbox, click here to subscribe.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will award $500 million to help California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) decarbonize the transportation and goods movement sector.
The funds will support district initiatives to expand electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure, transition its fleet to zero-emission vehicles and reduce air pollution. South Coast AQMD will use the award to advance the Infrastructure, Vehicles and Equipment Strategy for Climate, Equity, Air Quality and National Competitiveness (INVEST CLEAN) initiative.
The INVEST CLEAN program is designed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout the state’s largest goods movement corridor, consisting of Los Angeles, Long Beach-Anaheim and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario. The agency estimates the project will remove 12 metric tons of GHG emissions from the atmosphere by 2050.
South Coast AQMD will use the funds to support four key measures to incentivize projects as part of the initiative. These measures include:
- Installing EV charging stations.
- Increasing the number of zero-emission freight vehicles.
- Electrifying equipment.
- Electrifying diesel freight switcher locomotives.
As part of the project, the district will install more than 1,000 medium- and heavy-duty vehicle chargers. Plans include deploying 800 medium- and heavy-duty vehicles alongside 18 electric locomotives. These updated EVs will significantly reduce the amount of air pollutants affecting low-income and disadvantaged communities.
The project will also invest in supporting EV education and workforce programs, creating up to 43,500 jobs after building and utilizing the new infrastructure. The district will accelerate EV deployment by educating local communities and supporting an educated EV workforce to modernize the freight sector.
The EPA allocated the funds from the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program. The CPRG program provides financial support to eligible recipients to develop and deploy plans to reduce harmful air pollutants. Awarded projects will address climate change, reduce air pollution, support environmental justice and transition the nation to clean energy.
California is one of 25 applicants chosen to receive a portion of the recently announced $4.3 billion in CPRG funding. The most recent round of funding prioritizes reducing GHG emissions in the agriculture and working lands, transportation, commercial and residential buildings, industry, waste and materials management and electric power sectors.
Photo by Tom Jackson on Unsplash
