level the playing fields,” Battersby added. Each grant, according to Battersby, is unique in scope and amount, and not all of the coalitions have grant funding opportu- nities available, these coalitions assist fleets in identifying and applying for grant fund- ing, since the acquisition of these grants is a “true win/win situation.” “Grant funding can help buy down some of the additional expenses incurred in deploying alternative fuels, and some grants will cover the full incremental cost of the project versus the cost for the project had an alternative fuel not been selected,” he said. According to Hyrkas, Clean Cities coalitions can connect school districts with other financial assistance opportuni- ties, like Diesel Emissions Reduction Act funding through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and grant opportunities through their region or state. Clean Cities, Battersby detailed, also helps interested fleets cut through some of
the uncertainty surrounding grants, such as the expenses the grants will cover, like the cost of vehicles and infrastructure, the stipulations, like maximum caps and minimum thresholds, as well as whether or not the grants can be pooled together with multiple awards or not. All together, though, grants can assist in getting the process for a district fleet to transition to alternative fuels started. For instance, in the purchasing of a new bus, the grants help with the incremental cost of the vehicle, not the entire bus. Te grants, according to Carr, help with
“the economics,” since having a portion of the price covered by a grant provides a “quicker payback as the alternative fuel is in MOST cases, less expensive per gallon than the petroleum-based fuel.” “Some (grants) will help defray part of
the incremental cost of operating and up- fitting a vehicle to use an alternative fuel,” Carr said. “An example would be using a federal grant to pay up to 75 percent of
the incremental cost to operate a bus on natural gas or propane or electricity.” He proposed that when considering the switch to alternative fuels and looking for funding options, districts should contact their local Clean Cities coordinator. “All coalitions are independent of the gov- ernment, so they operate differently,” Carr said. “In central New York, for instance, we have access to funds through our state energy office. We would partner with the district to apply for the grant. l
Learn more about a July 26 general session at the STN EXPO on Clean Cities coalitions and the power to unleash grants for school districts. Turn to our full conference preview, starting on page 64, or visit
stnexpo.com.
March 17-22
EMBASSY SUITES Frisco, Texas (a suburb of Dallas)
2017
• Specialized Training • Networking • Compliance • Certification
Save the Date
See Us At Booth J
www.tsdconference.com 38 School Transportation News • JULY 2016
17TSD_STD_Frisco_SV.indd 1 5/17/16 9:54 AM
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