State of Montana Slated to Receive Nearly $43 Million in Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Funding

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DEQ and MDT to Host Webinar on April 4

 

HELENA—National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure funding is coming to Montana. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law late last year, includes $7.5 billion to support a national electric vehicle charging network. Of that total, $5 billion will go to states under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI). Montana will receive nearly $43 million through the formula program to fund direct-current fast charging (DCFC) infrastructure along interstate and U.S. highway corridors over the next five years.

The funding will be administered by the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) in collaboration with the Energy Office at the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). This partnership will work together to leverage MDT’s expertise in transportation funding and planning with DEQ’s experience in planning and deployment of electric vehicle infrastructure.

“The Montana Energy Office at DEQ has developed expertise in electric vehicle charging infrastructure through the 2017 settlement with Volkswagen,” said DEQ Director Chris Dorrington. “Efficient distribution of these new federal funds will support on-going private investment in this growing area of need for electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Montana.”

The federal funding can cover up to 80 percent of the costs associated with the electric vehicle charging infrastructure and the remainder will come from private investment—meaning state funds will not need to be used to match. DEQ’s Fast Charge Your Ride Program awarded funding in 2021 using the same cost share model to partner with private entities.

“This is a great opportunity for Montana to combine federal funding with private investment to create 21st century transportation infrastructure,” said MDT Director Mack Long. “Government works best when it works together with the private sector. This program will be a great opportunity to display effective public-private partnerships that serve the traveling public in Montana.”

The funding will initially be limited to highway corridors that have been designated as Alternative Fuel Corridors by the Federal Highway Administration. In Montana that includes Interstate 15, Interstate 90 and Interstate 94, along with U.S. Highway 2 and Highway 93 will be the focus.

Montana must develop and submit an “Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan” by Aug. 1. DEQ will lead the development of the plan in coordination with MDT. A virtual information session is planned for April 4 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Anyone interested in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, sharing information or commenting on the development of the plan is encouraged to attend the webinar.

For more information, visit the following links:

WYDOT Announces Strategy for National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Funding

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22 March 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WYDOT announces strategy for National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure funding

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming will soon receive National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula funds to use to facilitate electric vehicle infrastructure development, especially charging stations, around the state.

The funding is part of the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), signed by President Biden in November 2021. The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) is allocated $3.9 million this year and expects $5 million each year for the next four years for a total of $23.96 million for EV infrastructure over five years.

In preparation to execute NEVI funding and other program incentives, the state has developed a Zero Emission Vehicle Strategy and will circulate the strategy over the next month to allow the public and interested parties to provide comments and feedback.

“These stations will not only be powered by Wyoming energy, but will help facilitate tourism around the state,” said Director Luke Reiner. “We want drivers who choose EVs to have safe and reliable ways to charge their vehicles as they drive in our state. This has been an inter-agency effort to maximize available resources for our residents and visitors.”

Wyoming’s interstates have been designated as “Alternative Fuel Corridors” and under the NEVI program must have infrastructure installed first. Corridor infrastructure must adhere to guidelines set by the NEVI Program Joint Office for charger efficiency, location, and accessibility. Once the interstate corridors are complete, remaining funding can be spent along other key routes to popular destinations like Yellowstone National Park and Devil’s Tower National Monument.

No state funds will be used to build, maintain or operate EV charging infrastructure through the NEVI program. Instead, the company who bids on the corridor will pay the required match amount to the Federal funds.

In addition to the NEVI funding, the BIL outlined $2.5 billion in discretionary grants available to eligible applicants, including state and local governments, special purpose districts, tribes and other groups or entities. The state also has VW settlement funds that will be used to provide additional funding for EV infrastructure development in areas not along the alternative fuel corridors.

WYDOT and other state officials have scheduled public meetings around the state in early April to gather public input as well as feedback from potential bidders and other interested parties. Each meeting is expected to have a virtual component so viewers can attend any meeting and see the proposed plan and make comments.

The schedule is as follows:

  • Cheyenne
    • Date and time: April 4, 1-3 p.m.
    • Location: WYDOT Auditorium, 5300 Bishop Blvd.
  • Casper
    • Date and time: April 5, 9-11 a.m.
    • Location: WY Oil and Gas Commission Hearing Room, 2211 King Blvd.
  • Cody
    • Date and time: April 5, 5-7 p.m.
    • Location: Park County Public Library Grizzly Hall, 1500 Heart Mountain St.
  • Riverton
    • Date and time: April 6, 1-3 p.m.
    • Location: Riverton City Council Chambers, 816 N. Federal Blvd.
  • Jackson
    • Date and time: April 7, 9-11 a.m.
    • Location: Ordway Auditorium, Teton County Library, 125 Virginian Lane
  • Rock Springs
    • Date and time: April 7, 5-7 p.m.
    • Location: WYDOT District Office, 3200 Elk St.
  • Rawlins
    • Date and time: April 8, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
    • Location: Rawlins Family Recreation Center, 1616 Harshman St.
  • Gillette
    • Date and time: April 11, 2-4 p.m.
    • Location: Campbell County Library, 2101 S 4-J Rd.
  • Sheridan
    • Date and time: April 12, 10 a.m. – noon
    • Location: Sheridan County Fulmer Library, 335 W Alger St.

Those interested in making a public comment can also email dot-publicaffairs@wyo.gov. For more information, visit our website: https://www.dot.state.wy.us/home/planning_projects/zero-emission-vehicles/national-electric-vehicle-infrastructure-(nevi)-program.html

Press Release: Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities Announces Green Fleet Leader Awards

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Electric Vehicles Roadmap Initiative Special Report

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The Western Governor’s Association released their Special Report of the Electric Vehicles Roadmap Initiative. This report contains targeted recommendations on federal policy issues that affect public and private investments in EV infrastructure across the West. It also includes an umbrella agreement among states around a shared set of principles regarding EV infrastructure planning and identified a suite of voluntary standards to optimize public and private EV infrastructure investments.

YTCC is proud to have partnered on this initiative!

EV Ride and Drive with Johnny Ziem with the Town of Jackson

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Follow along as Johnny Ziem with the Town of Jackson shows off the Chevy Bolt he drives for work and explains the vehicle specs, what he likes best about the Bolt, and where you can charge in Jackson, WY.

Click HERE to watch the video on YTCC’s youtube channel.

EcoFair Challenge 2021

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This year we are partnering with EcoFair host, Energy Conservation Works, and other sustainability partners to host the first annual EcoFair Challenge! We collaborated to curate a list of challenges to inspire our community to take action, sustaining the spirit of the EcoFair since we won’t convene at an in-person event this year. These challenges involve simple, attainable, and impactful choices each of us can make.

 

Take on the challenges and win cool things! Challenges range from everyday activities (biking, walking, or taking the bus), weekly activities (dropping off food compost), or bigger commitments (signing up for Green Power)! Each challenge has a point value based on the difficulty, cost, and impact. Winners will be chosen each week, through raffle drawing and/or accumulated points for that week.

 

The challenges related to transportation are:

 

Check out the full list of challenges at bit.ly/jhecochallenge, and log your points on the Google Form: bit.ly/ecochallengelog. Weekly winners will be announced at our EcoTalk series at 6 pm on Tuesday. Visit the EcoFair Facebook page for details on how to attend the event: https://www.facebook.com/jacksonecofair. 

 

The EcoFair Challenge was made possible by collaboration from Avant Delivery, Energy Conservation Works, Hole Food Rescue, Jackson Hole Airport, Slow Food in the Tetons, START Bus, Teton Conservation District, Teton County Integrated Solid Waste & Recycling, The Riverwind Foundation & Yellowstone-Teton Clean CIties.

New Funding Announcement

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The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced two new clean transportation funding opportunities using the State’s Volkswagen Settlement funds. Applications for both are due January 11, 2021. Additional details are provided below.

Fast Charge Your Ride

DEQ is seeking eligible applicants interested in installing Level 3 direct current fast charging (DCFC) stations along key travel corridors in Montana. DCFC stations are capable of providing at least a 50-kilowatt (kW) output for a single vehicle. Each DCFC station location must also have a Level 2 station on site for redundancy in case the DCFC station is temporarily out of service, already in use, or for use by vehicles unable to use the DCFC station.

Proposed EVCS locations eligible for funding are along I-90, I-15, US-93, and a portion of US-2. Additional priority locations include Gardiner, Seeley Lake, and West Yellowstone.

The purpose of this program is to help fund the installation of EVCS stations for light duty vehicles in support of expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure along key travel corridors in Montana in order to help reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), greenhouse gases and particulate matter associated with light duty vehicles in Montana.

Find the Request for Applications (RFA) here. Read the RFA to determine if your proposal requires the Corridor application or the Additional Priority Location application.

Clean School Bus Program

DEQ is soliciting interest from all K-12 schools and all districts in Montana to replace model years 1996-2019 diesel-powered C and D type school buses with new battery-electric or certified low NOx emission school buses or model year 1996-2009 diesel-powered C and D type school buses with propane and cleaner diesel buses.

The application and instructions provide the information to allow schools to determine whether they are eligible to apply. Districts that operate their own buses or contract with a fleet manager are both eligible.

Find the Request for Applications and application here.

Questions?

If you have questions about either funding opportunity or eligibility, please contact Neal Ullman at 406-444-6582 or neal.ullman@mt.gov.

We want to hear from you!

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YTCC is reaching out to hear from YOU about your experiences, needs and thoughts about alternative fuel use in our region. We’ve designed a survey for the main groups we serve: government entities, businesses (this includes non-profits) and individuals. We will use the information you provide to help fine tune and develop programing to meet your needs and to make the biggest impact in our region. Upon completion of the survey you can opt in to be in a drawing for a $50.00 amazon gift card.

If you work for a government entity, please find your specific survey HERE

If you work for or own a business, please find your specific survey HERE

If you are filling a survey out on behalf of your self, find the INDIVIDUAL SURVEY HERE

 

 

VW Settlement Fund Progress

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Background 

In 2016, the United States, on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), filed a complainant against Volkswagen due to violations of the Clean Air Act. The allegations were that certain Volkswagen vehicles made between 2009 and 2016 were producing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions significantly greater then the act allows. The United States and California entered into three partial settlements with Volkswagen to correct this issue. The first partial settlement required Volkswagen to buy back or modify the emission systems of 85% of their violating vehicles. As well as, be held accountable for the excess Nox emissions by providing a $2.7 billion environmental mitigation trust. Also, Volkswagen was required to invest in and encourage usage of zero-emission vehicles and infrastructure, with a $2 billion ZEV investment program. The second settlement required Volkswagen to add another $225 million to the mitigation trust fund. Lastly, the third partial settlement addressed how to prevent future violations by the company. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) finalized the Volkswagen Mitigation Plan in 2018. In Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities’ Coalition the states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming have access to this funding.

Please find the links to each state’s plan for VW funding here:

IDAHO

MONTANA

WYOMING

Idaho

Idaho was accepting project applications through January 31st. The Idaho DEQ accepted applications to replace older, higher emission diesel vehicles with new, cleaner diesel, electric, or alternative fuel vehicles.

Montana

Montana is currently accepting applications for funding for clean transit bus replacement. The first round of applications are due by March 27th at 5:00 PM and results will be announced on April 17th. There is potential for a second round of funding to open up, and that will be announced at a later date.

Please find the link to the application, HERE.

Wyoming

Wyoming is currently accepting project proposals that will mitigate NOx emissions. These applications are due March 31st.

Please find the link to the application, HERE.

WY DEQ Seeks Public Input On How To Spend $8 million in VW Settlement Funds

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Please consider submitting a comment to WY DEQ through their comment link below. Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities agrees with WY DEQ’s goals and objectives but recommends including alternative fuels, particularly compressed natural gas and electric. Please reach out to YTCC if you would like to discuss project or goal and objectives ideas prior to your comment submission. If you would simply like to fill out a form, please find our Project Form below 

. 

Wyoming will focus on the following project types:

  • Class 8 local freight trucks.
  • Class 4 – 8 School buses, shuttle buses, or transit buses.
  • Pre-tier 4 diesel switcher locomotives.
  • Class 4 – 7 local freight trucks.
  • Airport Ground Support Equipment.

The State Of Wyoming has developed the following program goals and objectives to form the basis and selection criteria for the mitigation plan.

  • Reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.
  • Achieving higher cost-effectiveness (more emissions reduced per amount spent).
  • Impact on non-attainment areas.
  • Affecting areas of greater population density.
  • Affecting sensitive populations (such as children and the elderly).

The Department is reaching out to the public as it plans how best to utilize the approximately $8 million dollars gained from the settlement.

For more information related to this settlement CLICK HERE to visit the EPA’s website dedicated to this topic.

Members of the public with thoughts or suggestions on the Mitigation Trust funds should utilize the submit comments link below.

Public comments will be accepted for 30 days and will end on May 24, 2017.

Click Here to submit comments