Rep. Neguse Applauds $34 Million Federal Grant for Clean Transportation in Summit County

Statement

Today, Congressman Joe Neguse announced $34,765,737 in funding for the Summit Stage, a rural transit agency in Summit, Park, and Lake counties. Funds have been allocated by the State of Colorado Department of Transportation through the Low or No Emission (Low-No) Grant Program and the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program, which received funding as part of the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY 22) budget. This is an important investment in clean energy transportation -- the funding will be used to construct a new charging and operations bus facility, expand fleet storage, and build electric vehicle charging, which will expand green infrastructure across Colorado's mountain communities.

In April of last year, as the federal government was crafting the FY22 budget, Representative Neguse led a letter to Appropriators in Congress iterating this request, read the letter here.

"Across the 2nd district, and throughout Colorado's mountain communities, many of our cities and counties are setting ambitious local renewable energy goals. The Low or No Emission grant program, and others like it, will ensure our communities are equipped to meet their goals while making strides to combat the most existential threat of our time: climate change," said Congressman Neguse. "This funding will invest in the local economies and connectivity of Summit, Park, and Lake counties, bettering the lives of the families who are lucky to call these mountain communities home."

Since its inception, the Low-No program has provided critical funding for state, local, and tribal governments in their efforts to expand low-emission bus transit systems. The program serves to both promote mobility, modernize infrastructure, and address climate change. The Low-No emission grant program has brought millions of dollars to cities throughout Colorado's Second Congressional District. In 2020, the City of Boulder and Town of Vail used program funds to replace diesel buses and in 2018, Eagle County, Breckenridge, and Estes Park all secured significant funding for their emission-reducing transportation programs

Representative Neguse has been a staunch advocate for this program and for the expansion of clean transportation, utilizing his role in Congress to secure a $50 million appropriations increase for the Low-No program in the FY2021 budget. Rep. Neguse also spearheaded other efforts to spur new infrastructure and green public transportation across Colorado, securing $2 million in funding in 2019 from the Department of Transportation for Breckenridge, CO to replace diesel-powered buses with battery-electric vehicles and charging stations, through a different grant program at the FTA, the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program.

Source