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San
Joaquin Valley to Receive More Than $88 Million in State
Cap-and-Trade Funds
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The
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD)
Governing Board at its Dec. 21 meeting voted to accept more
than $88 million in funding from the state's cap-and-trade
proceeds. The Valley is receiving $80 million – nearly a
third of $250 million allocated by the California Air
Resources Board (CARB) to fund Carl Moyer projects and
clean trucks that meet Prop 1B guidelines.
Another $8.4 million is for AB 617 implementation, which
requires air monitoring at the community level in order to better
protect those in areas most impacted by air pollution.
Even better news is that significantly more money will be
heading to the San Joaquin Valley. (See graphic above from
the presentation made to the
SJVAPCD Board.) The Air District expects to receive millions
more for dairy digesters, several programs targeting
emissions reductions in agriculture, and greenhouse gas
projects for food processors.
"It's the most we have ever seen, and perhaps the most
we will ever get," President/CEO Roger Isom of the
California Cotton Ginners & Growers Association said
during public comments made at the meeting. He encouraged the
Air District to move quickly to get the funding distributed.
The state has set strict deadlines, mandated by law,
requiring funds to be encumbered (under executed contract) by
June 30, 2019, and liquidated (paid out) by June 30, 2021.
Biorem Energy President Mark Terry, who traveled from Idaho
to attend the meeting, encouraged the Air District to examine
existing funding criteria for heavy-duty trucks so that
larger trucking companies would have more of an incentive to
convert diesel trucks in their fleets to compressed natural
gas (CNG). He suggested a trade-up component as well, where
high-mileage trucks that may only be three to five years old
would not need to be destroyed. SJVAPCD Air Pollution Control
Officer Seyed Sadredin indicated they are working with CARB
to allow a trade-up provision.
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A DC
fast charger opened recently at Kern Federal Credit Union,
becoming the first level 3 charger in downtown Bakersfield.
The Air District's Charge Up! program, which helped fund this
project, recently was expanded to include workplace charging
sites.
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Charge
Up! Expands to Workplace Sites; New EV Funds Target Fresno
County
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The
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District's (SJVAPCD)
Charge Up! program, which provides funding for EV charging
equipment and infrastructure, is expanding to include
workplace charging. The program previously required chargers
to be open to the public for a minimum of 30 hours per week.
Charge Up! also will shift to a voucher-based system from a
rebate program to increase program participation, efficiency
and flexibility, resulting in an overall streamlining of the
program. A new application will be available soon. To date,
$1.3 million has been awarded by the Air District for 182
level 2 and level 3 EV chargers
A new state program debuted Dec. 20 in Fresno County,
providing $4 million in new funding for EV charging and
infrastructure projects. The Fresno County Incentive
Project (FCIP) is the first incentive project to be
launched under the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
Project (CALeVIP).
FCIP will provide rebates for the purchase and installation
of eligible level 2 electric vehicle chargers to owners of
commercial properties, apartments, condominiums, workplaces
and public agencies in Fresno County. Rebate amounts are
up to $4,000 for single-port EV charging stations and $7,000
for dual-port EV charging stations. FCIP funding may be
combined with Charge Up!, which offers $5,000 per unit for
single-port chargers and $6,000 per unit for dual-port
chargers. Charge Up! also will fund up to $25,000 for DC fast
chargers, with funding approved on a case-by-case
basis.
CALeVIP is funded by the California Energy Commission (CEC)
and implemented by the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE),
which also administers the state's Clean Vehicle Rebate
Project (CVRP). CALeVIP currently is funded for more than $15
million, with the potential to receive up to $200 million.
“As the state transitions to cleaner transportation in order
to meet clean air standards and climate goals, it’s important
to increase access to the charging infrastructure that makes
plug-in electric vehicles a more viable option for
communities across California,” Energy Commissioner Janea A.
Scott said in an article posted on CSE's website.
An application and guidelines are on the FCIP website. Read the
entire CSE article for more information.
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Two
Proterra Catalyst buses will be added to Yosemite's
shuttle fleet in late 2018, making it the first U.S. national
park to permanently add battery-electric, zero-emission buses
to its fleet.
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Yosemite
Becomes First U.S. National Park to Purchase Electric
Buses
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Yosemite
National Park will add two Proterra Catalyst electric
buses to its fleet, becoming the first U.S. national park to
permanently add zero-emission, battery-electric buses to its
shuttle fleet. The buses will begin service in late 2018 and
will operate throughout the year, transporting up to 1,480
visitors per day.
One of the nation's most-visited national parks, Yosemite
attracts more than five million visitors from around the
world each year. Increased vehicle congestion has contributed
to air pollution and noise problems in the park, and Yosemite
relies heavily on its shuttle program to encourage
visitors to park once and use a bus to circulate among
lodges, waterfalls and trailheads. This free shuttle
service travels approximately 436,000 miles with 3.8
million boardings annually.
In 2001, the park began replacing its diesel
bus fleet with diesel-electric hybrid vehicles. The new
Proterra Catalyst buses are expected annually to reduce
887,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions and save
approximately $150,500 on maintenance and operating
costs.
“Since its establishment in 1890, airborne
pollutants have steadily degraded Yosemite’s resources,"
said Yosemite National Park Acting Superintendent Chip
Jenkins. "Deploying Proterra’s battery-electric buses
will help with this ongoing challenge and will greatly
improve local air quality.”
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)
has committed to greening the federal fleet, including
the national parks, by working with businesses to make
cleaner, quieter transportation readily available and
affordable to partner agencies. As a resullt, GSA's list of
federal fleet acquisition options now includes the Proterra Catalyst.
“The Proterra team is especially proud to
directly contribute to the preservation of Yosemite National
Park.," said Proterra President and CEO Ryan Popple.
"We are honored to partner with the National Park
Service to provide clean, quiet transportation to the
millions of visitors who love to visit our national parks.”
With its headquarters in Burlingame, Proterra also has
offices in the Los Angeles area in the City of Industry and
in Greenville, South Carolina. The company currently has more
than 490 electric buses operating in 61 different
municipal, university, airport and commercial transit
agencies in 29 states.
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