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DEP Awards $1.9 Million in Alternative Fuel Incentive Grants to PA Communities and Businesses

Grants will cut down on air pollution from transportation and save fuel Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has award...
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Grants will cut down on air pollution from transportation and save fuel

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has awarded more than $1.9 million to Pennsylvania schools and businesses for projects using alternative fuels and infrastructure. The Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) awards grants for projects to improve air quality through alternative fuel use.
“The buses, cars, and trucks purchased and rebuilt with these grants will reduce air pollution and improve the air we breathe,” said Acting DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “One project, for the East Stroudsburg School District, will save the district nearly 125,000 gallons of gasoline every year. These types of projects pay economic and environmental dividends for communities and Pennsylvania at large, and I am very pleased to be able to award these grants.”
The Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) provides funding for projects to improve air quality through alternative fuel use. Today’s awards were granted in categories: Vehicle Purchase/Retrofit and Refueling Infrastructure. The awards for vehicles will save approximately 1.2 million gallons of gasoline.
East Stroudsburg, Pocono Mountain, and Hatboro-Horsham School Districts will all receive grants to convert some of their bus fleet to run on propane. East Stroudsburg was also awarded a grant for a refueling station for the buses and other municipal vehicles. A full list of awardees is below.
In addition to the Alternative Fuel Incentive Grants just awarded, DEP is offering a limited number of free technical assistance opportunities to municipalities, school districts, municipal authorities, and non-profit organizations to assist them in developing plans for building or expanding an alternative energy vehicle fleet. Applications for the Alternative Fuels Technical Assistance Program will be accepted through June 1, 2017.
The AFIG programs is currently not accepting new applications. The last submission period for 2016 applications closed on December 30, 2016. DEP expects to reopen the AFIG program in 2017, with the next application submission date due in the spring. The AFIG Fund was established under Act 166 of 1992 and is administered by DEP through the Energy Office.

Allegheny County
Awardee: McCandless Township Sanitary Authority
Project: Phase II Bi-Fuel Conversion Program
Award Total: $12,800
Number of Vehicles: 4
Estimated GGE saved per year: 5,121
Project Description: The McCandless Township Sanitary Authority seeks to convert 4 vehicles to propane as part of a Phase II to their original AFIG Program. The Phase II project would allow the Authority to further refine its program and to justify the training of their in-house mechanics to service these conversion kits and trucks.

Bradford County
Awardee: Dandy Mini-Marts, Inc.
Project: CNG Vehicles
Award Total: $9,850
Number of Vehicles: 2
Estimated GGE saved per year: 3,775
Project Description: Dandy Mini-Marts seeks to purchase 2 new vehicles they are converting to CNG.

Clearfield County
Awardee: RMP Transportation Company, Inc.
County: Clearfield
Project: LPG Delivery Vehicles
Award Total: $39,190
Number of Vehicles: 5
Estimated GGE saved per year: 19,159
Project Description: RMP seeks to purchase or conversion of 5 trucks to be fueled by dedicated LPG. Vehicles will be added to an existing fleet of 9 LPG delivery trucks. Vehicles will be refueled primarily at an existing company-owned fuel hub in DuBois, PA.

Elk County
Awardee: DM Industries, Inc.
Project: DM Industries, Inc. Refueling Project
Award Total: $19,957
Project Description: DM Industries, a provider of mechanical insulation for commercial sites, seeks to purchase equipment for a home refueling system located at 261 Battery Street, St. Mary, PA.

Lancaster County
Awardee: Worley & Obetz, Inc.
County: Lancaster
Project: Worley & Obetz Propane Fleet
Award Total: $15,900
Number of Vehicles: 4
Estimated GGE saved per year: 5,067
Project Description: Worley & Obetz seeks to purchase 4 propane-powered vehicles to add to their current fleet of alternative-fueled vehicles.
Awardee: Worley & Obetz, Inc.
Project: Worley & Obetz Propane Fleet Fueling Station
Award Total: $33,500
Project Description: Worley & Obetz, a central Pennsylvania fuels provider, seeks to purchase and install a propane fueling station to service and refuel the company fleet of propane-powered vehicles and public propane-powered vehicles with access card. This project is part of a company plan to utilize alternative fuels, including propane Autogas for its service fleet and for the general public propane-powered vehicles. This refueling infrastructure project was submitted in conjunction with a vehicle purchase application.

Mercer County
Awardee: Tri-County Industries Inc.
Project: Tri-County Industries New Refueling Station
Award Total: $500,000
Project Description: Tri-County Industries, a waste hauler subsidiary of Vogel Holding, Inc., seeks to construct an on-site CNG fueling station to allow fleet vehicles access to CNG fueling at their home location. This station will be owned by Tri-County Industries and will be available to the general public. This station will be used daily by a minimum of 10 fleet vehicles and potentially 10 waste collection vehicles.

Monroe County
Awardee: East Stroudsburg Area School District
Project: East Stroudsburg Area School District Propane School Bus Conversion Initiative
County: Monroe
Award Total: $200,000
Number of Vehicles: 52
Estimated Gallons of Gasoline Equivalent (GGE) saved per year: 124,800
Project Description: The East Stroudsburg Area School District seeks to begin converting their 122 school buses to run on propane fuel. This project requests $200,000 in AFIG funds to convert 52 buses ranging from 72-passenger to 30-passenger buses. The applicant has submitted an application for the fueling station as a Refueling Infrastructure project that would support the District’s fleet as well as potentially the Township municipal fleet and vehicles from neighboring school districts.
Awardee: Pocono Mountain School District
Project: Pocono Mountain School District Propane Bus Purchase
Award Total: $100,000
Number of Vehicles: 25
Estimated GGE saved per year: 70,079
Project Description: Pocono Mountain School District Board of Education seeks to purchase 25 new Propane Bluebird Vision 78 passenger school buses to replace conventional diesel buses. The project will utilize the installation of new infrastructure for fuel supply, on the District’s Sullivan Trail Campus.
Awardee: East Stroudsburg Area School District
Project: East Stroudsburg Area School District Propane Station Initiative
Award Total: $180,000
Project Description: East Stroudsburg Area School District seeks to build 2 propane refueling stations to fuel their first 52 propane school buses. The stations will continue to support the rest of the fleet as it is converted from diesel to propane buses and could potentially be used to support the township’s municipal fleet vehicles and buses from other school districts. This refueling infrastructure project was submitted in conjunction with a vehicle purchase application.

Montgomery County
Awardee: School District of Hatboro-Horsham
Project: Hatboro-Horsham School District Propane Bus Conversion Initiative
Award Total: $22,500
Number of Vehicles: 5
Estimated GGE saved per year: 7,500
Project Description: The Hatboro-Horsham School District seeks to purchase 5 new propane school buses. The project will utilize the fueling infrastructure of their neighboring district Upper Moreland, to help fuel the buses.
Awardee: United Parcel Service Inc.
Project: CNG Delivery Truck Project
Award Total: $200,000
Number of Vehicles: 20
Estimated GGE saved per year: 462,963
Project Description: This project will help UPS to continue the conversion of its Willow Grove vehicle operations to run on natural gas. This project seeks $200,000 in AFIG funds to replace 20 class 8 tractors that run on diesel with 20 class 8 tractors that run on natural gas.

Philadelphia County
Awardee: City of Philadelphia
Project: Advancing CNG in Philadelphia
Award Total: $200,000
Number of Vehicles: 10
Estimated GGE saved per year: 40,000
Project Description: The City of Philadelphia seeks to purchase of 10 new CNG refuse haulers. This effort is in coordination with CMAQ award received earlier this year supporting the purchase of 25 new CNG refuse haulers along with the construction of a new CNG filling station by PGW.
Awardee: WallyPark Pennsylvania LLC
Project: WallyPark CNG Shuttle Bus Deployment
Award Total: $77,600
Number of Vehicles: 8
Estimated GGE saved per year: 43,733
Project Description: WallyPark Pennsylvania LLC seeks to purchase 8 CNG shuttle buses.

Susquehanna County
Awardee: Xpress Natural Gas, LLC
Project: Susquehanna County CNG Project
Award Total: $200,000
Number of Vehicles: 10
Estimated GGE saved per year: 384,615
Project Description: Xpress Natural Gas seeks to purchase 10 CNG Vehicles. XNG will use these vehicles to collect stranded gas from gathering systems in Susquehanna County, compress and transport that gas to CNG public fueling for residents. The project includes a new station that will be owned by the applicant.

York County
Awardee: Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc.
County: York
Project: Retrofit of 20 Class 5 Delivery Vehicles
Award Total: $150,000
Number of Vehicles: 20
Estimated GGE saved per year: 80,000
Project Description: Bimbo Bakeries seeks to retrofit 20 existing gasoline class 5 delivery vehicles to dedicated propane fuel injection. These vehicles would deliver goods and services in and around the York, PA region running solely on propane and fuel at the York Bimbo distribution center.

SOURCE: DEP Press Office

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