FTA grants create jobs, promote innovative transportation solutions

Today, the Federal Transit Administration is awarding $112 million in Clean Fuels and TIGGER (Transit Investments in Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction) grants to 46 innovative projects across the country.  These investments will put people back to work building sustainable, energy-efficient transit vehicles and facilities in 23 states.

FTA's Clean Fuels and TIGGER programs support President Obama’s effort to create jobs, improve the environment, and secure America’s energy future. Today's awards will improve public transportation access for millions of Americans while putting people back to work, reducing our dependence on oil, and easing consumers' pain at the gas pump.

Here's a brief sample of the 46 terrific projects that FTA's funds will jump-start:

• In Cincinnati, the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority will replace diesel buses at the end of their service life with a fleet of mini-hybrid buses that will save the transit agency money on fuel and reduce harmful emissions.
• In the Philadelphia area, SEPTA will replace diesel buses with hybrid buses.  SEPTA will also install a battery that stores energy generated by braking trains.
• In Southern California, the Long Beach Public Transportation Corporation will replace aging diesel buses on heavily-traveled routes with all-electric, zero-emissions buses.
• And in South Florida, Tri-Rail will build LEED-certified stations that derive more than 100 percent of their energy from solar panels and send excess energy back to the power grid. 

We're already excited about previous Clean Fuels and TIGGER grants that are delivering benefits today.  On Friday, for example, FTA Deputy Administrator Therese McMillan will be in Atlanta to help celebrate the opening of a locally manufactured, solar-powered bus garage canopy.  I announced the funding for this new facility during our first round of TIGGER awards, and I'm happy it is now setting a high standard for today's awardees.

Now, today's grants are one more step in our effort to give people convenient, reliable, affordable, and sustainable choices for getting where they need to go.  But they also represent the urgent need for action.

The American people are weary of waiting for Congress to pass a transportation reauthorization or the transportation provisions in the American Jobs Act.  They can't wait for action that will put their friends and neighbors back to work, action that will help people get where they need to go, and action that will reduce our dependence on oil. 

So President Obama has pledged that where Congress won’t act, this administration will. And that’s what these important grants are all about. 

We can’t wait to get American workers back on the job.  We can't wait to invest in cutting-edge transportation projects that will keep our economy moving forward.  We just can't wait.

Comments

[Ken Kakabaker]

I am alarmed at the huge amount of money given to the Kalamazoo, Michigan to install GPS systems in their buses. I understand the GPS systems were justified so that riders could determine when buses would arrive at a given stop. If true, this is a total waste.
I am also very concerned that Kalamazoo's buses are too large for amount of riders. What criteria does DOT use to determine community need for grant money? Kalamazoo's buses are hardly ever even half full.