Applications for projects are now being accepted under ACOG’s FY 2014 CLEAN AIR Grants for Public Sector Fleets solicitation. This round of grant funding contains $500,000 to assist with the purchase of alternative fuel vehicles and advanced technology vehicles, and alternative fueling stations and electric vehicle charging equipment.
Eligible applicants include OCARTS member local governments; OCARTS member public transit fleets; public trusts and public authorities that provide essential services to OCARTS member entities; public colleges, universities and Oklahoma CareerTech System Technology Centers lying principally within OCARTS boundaries; and public school districts whose boundaries are contained principally within the OCARTS area.
Private entities that contract services such as refuse hauling or school transportation to OCARTS area-eligible entities also can be considered for funding through a Public-Private-Partnership agreement.
Funding for ACOG’s CLEAN AIR Grants for Public Sector Fleets is provided by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation through the Federal Highway Administration’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program. CMAQ monies provide a flexible funding source for state and local governments to fund transportation projects and programs to help meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA) and its amendments. CMAQ funds support transportation projects that reduce mobile source emissions including transit improvements, travel demand management strategies, traffic flow improvements, and public fleet conversions to cleaner fuels, among others.
ACOG developed a Public Fleet Conversion Grants Program in 2009 to administer a competitive grants program that would improve air quality and reduce mobile source emissions in Central Oklahoma. The CLEAN AIR acronym in the grants’ moniker stands for Creating Long-term Energy Alternatives Now by Advancing Improvements Regionally.
The current solicitation guidelines document and application are available for download from ACOG’s website at acogok.org/solicitations. Application deadline is 4:00 p.m., January 17, 2014.