Speakers gather for the Gulf Coast Association for Pupil Transportation on Monday, February 12, 2018.  Funding opportunities were presented by

H-GAC
Cummins Westport, Inc.
HISD
Roush

Click on the links to view the presentations.

On Thursday, February 15, 2018, TxDOT’s Houston District Office held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new Electric Vehicle Fleet Kickoff. Dalton Pratt, TxDOT Fleet Operations Director and Quincy Allen, TxDOT Houston District Engineer spoke about the exciting move into the future. The vehicles that have been added to the fleet include two EV’s, the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt, and two hybrid vehicles, the Ford C Max Energi and Toyota Prius Prime. Employees participated in test drives and charging station demonstrations.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded more than $1 million to the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, for electric shuttle buses. The funds, administered under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA), help improve air quality by reducing harmful emissions from diesel vehicles.

“EPA’s clean-diesel grants help cities improve air quality and achieve regulatory standards,” said Regional Administrator Anne Idsal. “The Bush airport’s grant will help reduce pollution and improve quality of life for communities near the airport.”

“Improving air quality through the use of alternative technologies is a priority of the Houston Airport System,” said Houston Airport System environmental manager Carlos Ortiz. “With the assistance of the EPA, we are able to reduce emissions from diesel-powered shuttle buses and promote the use of alternative technologies at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.”

The $1,032,104 grant allows the airport to purchase four electric-power shuttle buses to replace diesel-burning buses. This is expected to reduce tons of pollution per year—nearly 12.4 tons of pollutants that contributes to ozone and 0.1 tons of particulate matter. This will not only help improve air quality, but also help improve overall respiratory, cardiovascular, and central nervous system health for people living in communities surrounding the airport.

DERA funding helps improve air quality by giving grants to schools, municipalities and other local government groups to replace or improve aging diesel fleets. Grants are typically targeted to areas with poor air quality. The funds allow grantees to retrofit existing vehicles with emission-reducing technology, or to replace vehicles with newer, cleaner-burning models.

As a result of EPA regulations, diesel engines manufactured today are cleaner than ever before. But because diesel engines can operate for 30 years or more, millions of older, dirtier engines are still in use. Reducing exposure to diesel exhaust from these engines is especially important for human health and the environment. EPA offers funding for projects that reduce diesel emissions from existing engines.

For more about EPA’s clean diesel program: https://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) just announced $6.2M funding under their newly expanded Clean School Bus Program. The Clean School Bus Program open now will provide grants to public and charter schools as well as school transportation companies statewide to install exhaust retrofits as well as replace older diesel school buses with new school buses. One of those options includes replacement of older buses with cleaner-burning propane autogas school buses.

The Propane Council of Texas is excited about a new opportunity to put cleaner school buses on Texas roads. According to the EPA, diesel exhaust is exceptionally harmful to children because their lungs are not fully developed. Not only that, but these older diesel buses produce higher amounts of nitrogen oxides (NOx), which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to smog, ground level ozone and is associated with adverse health effects. Cleaner-burning propane school buses are available from top school bus manufacturers.

“Texas is home to over 26,000 pre-2007 diesel school buses. If school districts would replace all the pre-2007 school buses, Texas could reduce (NOx) by 7.5M pounds a year,” states Propane Council of Texas Executive Director, Bill Van Hoy.

School districts can replace a pre-2007 school bus with propane school bus and get between $36,500 -$52,500 dependent on the passenger capacity. Funding is first come, first serve with a limit of funding 5 school buses per district.

The Clean School Bus Grant guidelines and application can be found on the TCEQ website at http://www.terpgrants.org.

School districts interested to switch to propane school can contact the Propane Council of Texas for information at info@propanecounciloftexas.org  or calling (800)325-7427.

About the Propane Council of Texas
The Propane Council of Texas is (ProCOT) is a 501 (c) 3 educational and marketing foundation. Our objective is consumer education, highlighting the benefits of home-grown propane and promoting clean-burning propane technologies like propane school buses.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality announced today that a second round of grants is being made available to eligible individuals, businesses, and governmental entities to continue the development of a network of natural gas and/or other alternative fuel fueling stations to serve as a foundation for a self-sustaining market for alternative fuel vehicles in Texas.

The Alternative Fueling Facilities Program (AFFP) grants are part of the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan, and are offered to eligible entities that intend to build, own, and operate alternative fuel and/or natural gas fueling stations in the Clean Transportation Zone. Effective September 1, 2017, the Texas Health and Safety Code (THSC) Chapters 393 and 394 were amended to combine the AFFP and the Clean Transportation Triangle (CTT) programs.

AFFP grants offset a portion of the cost of either the construction of new facilities dispensing natural gas and/or alternative fuels, or the expansion of existing facilities to provide new services or capabilities. Eligible fuels for the AFFP include compressed natural gas (CNG) and/or liquefied natural gas (LNG); biodiesel; hydrogen; methanol; propane (LPG); and electricity.

Applications will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. CST, Thursday, March 29, 2018.

The Texas Clean School Bus (TCSB) program is now awarding grants state-wide for school bus replacements as well as retrofits!

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is accepting applications for the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) TCSB, on a first-come, first-served basis, to replace or retrofit diesel school buses operating on a regular daily route to and from a school during the regular school year.

Texas school districts, charter schools, and transportation systems provided by countywide school districts are invited to join TERP staff via Skype on Wednesday, January 24th for an Application Workshop.  Skype webinars will be conducted at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., please RSVP to cleanbus@tceq.texas.gov.

Replacements: Tables with pre-approved Maximum Eligible Grant Amounts for replacements are provided to applicants in the Request for Grant Applications (RFGA). The tables list the school bus types, passenger capacity, and fuel types eligible for funding.

Retrofits: The TCEQ may reimburse up to 100% of the cost to purchase and install retrofit devices.

Applications will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on April 26, 2019 or until all funding is awarded.

Copies of the RFGA, Maximum Eligible Grant Amount tables, and Application Forms are available on the TERP TCSB program webpage: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/terp/school-buses.html. Contact us toll-free at 800-919-TERP (8377) with questions regarding the grant application process. Hard copies of the RFGA, Maximum Grant Amount Tables, and Application Forms may be mailed to interested applicants upon request.

Momentum Fuel Technologies will be holding two days of free CNG training for Fleet Technicians.

February 20th, 2018
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Central Freight – Houston
5800 Mesa Dr.
Houston, TX 77028

and
February 21, 2018
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Rush Truck Center
10200 N Loop E Fwy.
Houston, TX 77029

Training Topics

– CNG Safety Precautions
– Fleet Management
– Fuel System Components
– Controlling Pressure
– Fuel System Maintenance Schedule
– Troubleshooting
– Inspecting and Replacing Components
– Solving Electrical Problems

RSVP: David O’Brien, Momentum Training Manager
Email: obriend@momentumfueltech.com
Work: 817-767-6006
Cell: 210-846-5136

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will accept public comment and conduct public hearings regarding proposed revisions to the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) Guidelines for Emissions Reduction Incentive Grants, RG-388 and the TERP Guidelines for the Drayage Truck Incentive Program, RG-524. The public comment period closes February 6, 2018. For more information, including the schedule for public meetings, refer to the TERP webpage, www.terpgrants.org.

United Parcel Service said on Tuesday it is buying 125 Tesla all-electric semi-trucks, the largest order for the big rig so far, as the package delivery company expands its fleet of alternative-fuel vehicles.

Tesla is trying to convince the trucking community it can build an affordable electric big rig with the range and cargo capacity to compete with relatively low-cost, time-tested diesel trucks. This is the largest public order of the big rig so far, Tesla said.

The Tesla trucks will cost around $200,000 each for a total order of about $25 million. UPS expects the semi-trucks, the big rigs that haul freight along America’s highways, will have a lower total cost of ownership than conventional vehicles, which run about $120,000.

Prior to UPS, the largest single pre-order came from PepsiCo Inc, for 100 trucks.

“As with any introductory technology for our fleet, we want to make sure it’s in a position to succeed,” Scott Phillippi, UPS senior director for automotive maintenance and engineering for international operations, told Reuters.

Phillippi said the 125 trucks will allow UPS to conduct a proper test of their abilities. He said the company was still determining their routes, but the semis will “primarily be in the United States.” Tesla will provide consultation and support on charging infrastructure.

“We have high expectations and are very optimistic that this will be a good product and it will have firm support from Tesla to make it work,” Phillippi said.

The UPS alternative fuel fleet already includes trucks propelled by electricity, natural gas, propane and other non-traditional fuels.

Source: Reuters