FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2024
Contact: Ashley Sullivan, ashley.sulivan@weact.org
WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris administration announced this week $735 million in tentative grantee selections for Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles as Part of the Investing in America Agenda. The announcement shares that 70 winners across 27 states will receive grants to purchase electric heavy-duty vehicles, to invest in charging infrastructure and for workforce development. The program, established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), supports the transition to clean, zero-emission vehicles. With 70% of grants going towards electric school buses, this effort is set to positively impact the environment and the health of school children and communities across the nation. The remaining funds will go towards the transition of other vehicles used by municipalities which will serve to further benefit air quality and public health.
In response, WE ACT for Environmental Justice’s Federal Policy Manager Yosef Robele shared the following:
“This program will promote the adoption of clean zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles to cities, especially in school districts across the country. We are pleased with the wide geographic and demographic scope of the selectees and in particular are excited to see New York City receive several grants for clean school buses, garbage trucks, straight trucks and utility vehicles. Most school buses run on diesel fuel, which emits nasty pollutants such as soot, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, and other pollutants that significantly worsen air quality within our communities and contribute to global warming. Air pollution is particularly harmful for the developing lungs of children, and children of color and in areas of low income in New York City experience its worst impacts. Neighborhoods in Northern Manhattan, for instance, have some of the highest death and disease rates from asthma in the nation, with childhood asthma in these communities of color being responsible for a disproportionately high number of emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and premature deaths.
“The state of New York is set to receive $125 million in funding to improve our air quality. Just as notable, the program advances the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative by awarding $523 million to overburdened communities that are in a geographic area that do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). As environmental justice communities like ours face the greatest exposure to hazardous air quality in the country, we are encouraged to see these investments. We will keep fighting to ensure that the funds are not only protected and delivered, but that additional funds are made available to secure an equitable and healthy future for our children and communities.”
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WE ACT for Environmental Justice is a Northern Manhattan membership-based organization whose mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low-income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. WE ACT has offices in New York and Washington, D.C. Visit us at weact.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram.