TCEQ gives out grants for alternative fuel vehicles

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality announced that $7.7 million in grants are available to eligible individuals, businesses, governmental entities, and school districts, to replace older diesel vehicles with new alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles.

For the purposes of this program, eligible alternative fuel vehicles are limited to those powered by the following: electricity, compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), hydrogen, propane (LPG), or a mixture of fuels containing at least 85 percent methanol by volume (M85). A hybrid vehicle is defined as a motor vehicle with at least two different energy converters and two different energy storage systems on board the vehicle for the purpose of propelling the vehicle such as electric-diesel or electric-gasoline.

TCEQ Texas Clean Fleet Program grants, which are part of the Texas Emission Reductions Plan, are offered to eligible entities that own or lease a fleet of 75 or more on-road vehicles that are currently registered in Texas and intend to replace at least 20 on-road diesel vehicles. Projects must result in at least a 25 percent reduction of emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX).

Grants may be awarded for up to 80 percent of the purchase costs of the new vehicle. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis with projects ranked according to the cost per ton of NOX reduced by the project.

Recipients must agree to operate the grant-funded vehicles for a defined percentage of the annual mileage in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria area, Dallas-Fort Worth area, Beaumont-Port Arthur area, Tyler-Longview area, Austin area, San Antonio area, El Paso area, Corpus Christi area, or Victoria area for five years or 400,000 miles, whichever occurs earlier.

Grant applications are accepted until Oct. 3, 2014.

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Press Release, July 11, 2014