Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) announced federal funding made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to replace diesel buses with battery electric buses in southern Maine. Awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Low- and No-Emission Vehicle Program, the Biddeford-Saco-Old Orchard Beach (BSOOB) Transit Committee will receive $2,047,407 to buy two battery electric buses to replace diesel buses. This will provide safe and reliable transportation for transit-reliant residents and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 4.8 million pounds over the buses' 12-year life cycle.
“With 54 percent of Maine’s greenhouse gas emissions coming from the transportation sector, electric buses are a key way to reduce pollution in our communities and transition to a clean energy economy. Now, thanks to this historic and transformational law championed by President Biden, our local transit authorities are replacing outdated diesel buses with electric buses,” said Pingree. “Electric buses are energy efficient, powered by zero-emission technology, and most importantly, safe and reliable. I was thrilled to help make this funding possible and look forward to seeing the electric revolution take off in our great state.”
This funding is among $1.66 billion in grants to transit agencies, territories, and states across the country to invest in bus fleets and facilities. Funded by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the majority of funded projects will use zero-emissions technology, which reduces air pollution and helps meet the President’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
In May, BSOOB Transit Committee and Greater Portland Metro each put two new electric buses in service through $2.29 million in Low-No Emissions Grant Program funding, marking the first set of electric transit buses in Maine since the early 2000s.
Pingree is well-known as a leader for Congressional action on the looming climate crisis. She is an original cosponsor of the Green New Deal and serves as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee where she has made combatting the climate crisis her top priority. She and her Democratic colleagues recently passed the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment to fight climate change in U.S. history.
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