KC Clean Cities Awarded $3.8 Million DOE Grant For Clean Fuel Build-out

 

(30 August 2017) – Metropolitan Energy Center and Kansas City Regional Clean Cities are delighted to have been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for federal funding to move the adoption of clean, domestic fuels even further into the transportation mainstream.  The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced yesterday that Kansas City Clean Cities was one of five organizations nationwide sharing a total of $13.4 million in competitive grants.  DOE link

This funding will assist multiple projects and fuels in both Missouri and Kansas.  Private- and public-sector partners will cover just over half of total costs with their own commitments to cleaner fleets, new infrastructure and improved fueling facilities.

The grant covers the following projects:

  • Propane fleet fueling for buses operated by the Grain Valley, MO R-5 School District
  • An expanded time-fill compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling facility for the City of Garden City KS, and new CNG-powered heavy trash haulers
  • Publicly accessible CNG fueling at the Sapp Brothers Travel Center in Harrisonville, MO
  • Additional CNG and electric-drive (EV) vehicles for Kansas City, MO’s municipal fleet
  • Expanded public CNG fueling for the City of El Dorado, KS
  • Biodiesel blending facilities for on-campus vehicle use at the University of Kansas in Lawrence
  • Expanded time-fill CNG fueling infrastructure for the Blue Springs, MO R-IV School District
  • Deployment of EV shuttle buses at KCI, along with construction of high-speed charging systems
  • New public CNG stations along I-70 in Salina, KS and TBD location in western Kansas.  Though designed for access by any CNG vehicle, these stations are planned with heavy freight traffic in mind; construction will close a natural gas fueling gap that stretches from Topeka to Denver, and will encourage CNG adoption by additional freight fleets

We project a cumulative reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 3,377 metric tons by the end of Year Three of the project and the elimination of 46,375 barrels of petroleum.  A conservative estimate shows savings of $888,615 in fuel costs through the end of year three for our partners and for fleets and drivers making the switch to cleaner, domestically produced energy.

A partner in the US Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Program, Kansas City Regional Clean Cities is a coalition of public and private partners seeking to build the awareness and use of alternative fuels in fleets throughout Kansas and western Missouri. The coalition consists of fleet operators, alternative fuel providers, vehicle manufacturers and distributors, and others interested in improving air quality and reducing the use of foreign oil. It has been active since 1996 and was designated a DOE partner in 1998.

Metropolitan Energy Center is a 501 (c) (3) tax-deductible organization working in Kansas City and surrounding areas for greater energy efficiency in transportation and the built environment since 1983.  Our mission is to create resource efficiency, environmental health and economic vitality in the Kansas City region.  For additional information, please visit our website www.metroenergy.org

/by

VW Settlement – Kansas Forums

, , ,

Join us at one of four events in Kansas this September and October to learn about the Volkswagen Settlement and what it means to fleets in the state of Kansas. At each event, we’ll provide the latest information, a forum for discussion, and give you tools to participate in decision-making for the state’s plan for its $15 million share of the VW Environmental Mitigation Trust.

September 6: Salina, KS

hosted by Salina Area Chamber of Commerce and 24/7 Travel Stores

Sept 6, 2017, 10:30a. – 12:30p. Lunch will be served

120 W. Ash, Salina, KS 67402-0586

Register for Salina, Sept 6

 

September 7: Garden City, KS

hosted by Finney County Economic Development Corporation and Clean Energy Business Council

Sept 7, 2017, 1:00p – 3:00p

City Administration Center, 301 N. 8th St, Garden City, KS

Register for Garden City, Sept 7

 

September 13: Topeka, KS

hosted by Clean Energy Business Council

Sept 13, 2017, 1:00p – 2:30 p

Address tba

Register for Topeka, Sept 13

 

October 3: Wichita, KS

hosted by Wichita State University

Oct 3, 2017, 1:30p – 3:00p

WSU Old Town, 238 N. Mead Wichita, KS 67202 (Directions & Parking Info: http://communityengagementinstitute.org/Documents/WSUOldTownMapandParkingDirections.pdf)

Register for Wichita, Oct 3

 

The forums are being presented by Central Kansas Clean Cities in cooperation with Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Climate + Energy Project.

If you can’t make it in person, send us feedback on how your fleet might use settlement funds.

Settlement Information

Partial Consent Decree for 2.0 Liter Subject Vehicles

$2.7 billion was allocated to states, tribes, and certain territories based on impacted VW vehicles in their jurisdictions

  • The funds support projects that reduce NOx emissions
  • Similar to EPA’s Clean Diesel program
  • Kansas 2.0L allocation: $14,791,372

Second Partial Consent Decree for 3.0 Liter Subject Vehicles

  • $225 million adds to each state’s Environmental Mitigation Trust.
  • Kansas 3.0L allocation: $870,860

For more information about the settlement in Missouri, Kansas or nationwide, visit our Volkswagen Settlement page.

/by

Diesel School Bus Funding Opportunity – Missouri

, ,

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Air Pollution Control Program is expecting to receive a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The grant funding comes from a federal program called the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA). The funding for this program is not part of the Volkswagen Settlement. Details about the process for awarding Volkswagen funds are still forthcoming.

The department has run numerous DERA grant programs in the past nine years. This year, like the last two years, the department plans to use the grant to fund a clean diesel early school bus replacement program in Missouri.

Owners of diesel school buses stationed and operating in Missouri are eligible to apply for funding. If selected, awardees will receive up to 25% of the cost of the new school bus(es) with a maximum award of $18,000 per bus, and applicants may apply for two school buses. The newly purchased bus(es) must replace a bus(es) that is currently in use and has an engine model year within the range of 1995 – 2006. The new buses must be “early” replacements, meaning they are not already planned for replacement and would not be replaced if not for this funding opportunity.

A Request for Applications (RFA) is posted on the Departments Webpage: http://dnr.mo.gov/env/apcp/cleandieselprogram.htm, along with a fill-in-the-blank application form.   This RFA is open to both public and private school bus owners/operators in Missouri.

The deadline to submit applications is August 31, 2017.

The Department will review all applications received for eligibility, and will select awardees through a random drawing ensuring that all eligible applicants have an equal chance to receive funding through this opportunity.

Please visit the webpage listed above and download the RFA and the Application Form.

If you have any questions about this funding opportunity for early school bus replacements in Missouri, please feel free to contact Mark Leath at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources; (573) 526-5503.

 

/by

Fall 2017 Clean Cities Internship Opportunity

, , ,

JOB DESCRIPTION:  Internship supporting energy-related programs for Metropolitan Energy Center, specifically for the Kansas City Regional and the Central Kansas Clean Cities Coalitions. We will consider the intern’s program interests […]

Read more
/by