Please join us for an electric vehicle showcase on October 2nd from noon-2:00 pm and 5:30-7:30 pm. You’ll have the opportunity to view numerous electric vehicle vehicles and speak with their owners about their experience driving electric. If you are an EV owner we would love for you to join us! You can volunteer to join by signing up through our google form.
With over a decade of experience as an executive director in the Clean Cities and Communities (CC&C) partnership, Alicia Cox works tirelessly to ensure that the Wyoming/Montana/Idaho areas have clean transportation options tailored to their unique needs.
On Thursday, September 12, Cox was honored for her leadership of Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities by being inducted into the CC&C Hall of Fame, which places her among a group of elite CC&C coalition directors who have been recognized for their resolute commitment and contributions to furthering alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies in U.S. transportation.
Mark Smith, manager of the U.S. Department of Energy Technology Integration Program, made the announcement on the third day of the Clean Cities and Communities Annual Training Workshop, where coalition representatives from across the nation come together to learn about the latest transportation research, share experiences, and recognize each other’s successes.
Cox is a great champion for the CC&C mission with a steadfast attitude and warm personality, supporting and promoting the use of all alternative fuels in the Wyoming/Montana/Idaho area. Over the years, she has developed many initiatives, including Drive Electric Greater Yellowstone (now Drive Electric Wyoming and Drive Electric Wyoming, the Electric Vehicle (EV) Experience, the EV Ambassador Program, and EV charging station rebate programs. Cox served as a major partner in DOE’s WestSmart EV, WestSmart EV@Scale, and CORWest projects, which all support EV infrastructure buildout in the Northwest. Additionally, this past year Cox has supported nearly $12 million in successfully funded stakeholder projects through various federal programs, most recently the Town of Jackson’s $5.5 million Department of Transportation Community and Fueling Infrastructure Grant (DOT CFI).
Cox’s work also expands beyond EVs. She led the development of training and curriculum for local stakeholders in green fleets, a transportation-themed sustainability series focused on alternative fuels, vehicles, and other fuel-saving practices, including renewable diesel, natural gas, idle reduction, rideshare, and transit.
YTCC’s longstanding efforts around the area’s ski resorts and national parks are especially lauded, given the coalition’s territory includes some of America’s best skiing and two of the top 10 most-visited national parks in the United States. Both Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park are responsible for an increase in local road congestion during the summer months. Another of the coalition’s notable recent projects is the Wheel House Commuter Bike Hub, which reduced emissions and traffic congestion by providing e-bike charging and bike storage so local commuters can get off busy roads during high-tourism season.
Under Cox’s 10-plus years of leadership, YTCC has displaced a total of 972,646 gasoline gallon equivalents and reduced 9,235 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. The coalition fosters relationships with 80 stakeholders from some of the most sparsely-populated states in the country—Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.
“Thank you all, I love the Clean Cities and Communities coalition network,” said Cox. “You all are my family, and this work is so fun and always changing!”
the Biden-Harris Administration announced $521 million in grants to continue building out electric vehicle (EV) charging and alternative-fueling infrastructure across 29 states, eight Federally Recognized Tribes, and the District of Columbia, including the deployment of more than 9,200 EV charging ports.
This new EV infrastructure will increase access and reliability to communities across the country and provides EV charging to light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles along designated highways, interstates, and major roadways. The funds are a part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals to support the growth of a convenient, affordable, reliable and Made-in-America national network of EV chargers so drivers can charge close to home, at work, and along significant corridors throughout the U.S.
The Town of Jackson, along with regional partners, will receive $5.5 million to install publicly accessible EV chargers. The partnership will install Level 2 and Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) charging stations, along with necessary electrical infrastructure, at strategic, public locations throughout the Jackson Hole region to serve residents, commuters, and visitors.
YTCC worked closely with the Town of Jackson and Teton County and played a key role in developing the successful grant proposal and coordinating the project partners.
This project is years in the making. YTCC has worked with the Town of Jackson’s Ecosystem Stewardship Administrator, Tanya Anderson and Charlotte Frei, Regional Transportation Planning Administrator for Teton County over the last several years to strategize towards greater electric vehicle infrastructure in the region. This included a Teton County Electric Vehicle Charging Station Planning Workshop YTCC jointly hosted and faciliated with the Town and the County in September 2022.
We’re thrilled to have substantial federal support for the buildout of a robust regional charging network. The funding will greatly enhance our EV infrastructure, making it easier for people to adopt and rent electric vehicles and contribute to zero tailpipe emission travel through our pristine ecosystem. This project is a testament to the collaborative effort of our regional partners and displays Tanya Anderson, Ecosystem Stewardship Administrator, and Charlotte Frei’s, Regional Transportation Planning Administrator strong leadership”
Alicia Cox, YTCC Executive Director
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality recently announced this year’s Volkswagen (VW) Settlement grant proposals for emissions reduction projects across the state. Proposed projects must involve methods to mitigate nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from vehicles listed within the eligible mitigation actions established in DEQ’s VW Mitigation Plan.
Join us in congratulating the 6 entities in Wyoming to receive VW Settlement funds.
This year’s winners will receive nearly $1.4 Million in VW Settlement funds.
According to Keith Guille, DEQ Outreach Manager, the Department received over twelve proposals this year.
YTCC is particularly pleased about this annoucement as we supported each of these applicants in varying capacities, from providing GHG emission reduction calculations, connecting applicants with other stakeholders who have already deployed the technology they are interested in or providing available vehicle options.
To learn more about the VW emission reduction grant program, click here.
YTCC is pleased to have supported every successful applicant during the application process and is excited to be a part of these sustainable efforts!
Program background information:
In September 2015, Volkswagen admitted that it installed emissions control defeat devices on approximately 500,000 VW/Porsche/Audi 2.0 liter diesel engines and an additional 90,000 3.0 liter diesel engines. These devices were allowed up to 40 times the legal limit of NOx emissions to be emitted from these vehicles.
In October 2016, a settlement was reached between multiple stakeholders in a lawsuit against Volkswagen. At this time, the First Partial Consent Decree for 2.0-liter vehicles was released. As part of that decree, a trustee was required to be appointed to oversee the mitigation process. The decree also required Wyoming to develop a mitigation plan in order to qualify for potential funding from this mitigation trust fund.
In 2018, the State of Wyoming submitted a mitigation plan to the settlement trustee summarizing the state’s plan to utilize the mitigation funds.
DEQ was selected as the lead agency on behalf of the state to oversee the mitigation plan and allocation of funds under the settlement.
The consent decree outlines specific details of how trust funds may be used. Money from the settlement may be used to pay some or all the cost to repower or replace eligible diesel-powered vehicles with new cleaner diesel, alternative fueled, or all-electric engines.
Currently, DEQ has obligated or spent over $7 Million from the settlement.
Currently there are two incredible opportunities to secure funding to advanced electrificiation within your fleet and build the alternative fuel infrastructure you’ve been needing to.
The Inflation Reduction Act invests $1 billion to replace existing non-zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission vehicles, support zero-emission vehicle infrastructure, and to train and develop workers.
The EPA’s most recent Notice of Funding Opportunity, offers up to $932 million in funding for eligible clean heavy-duty vehicles.
This program is a one-time program, it will not be offered year after year the way some EPA programs are, so do not miss this opportunity.
The vehicles that qualify are Class 6 or 7 heavy-duty vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) between 19,501lbs to 33,000lbs. They have a minimum requirement of 3 vehicles per application. I think the minimum can be limiting for smaller, rural communities but there is an opportunity to join forces with another community to aggregate the number of vehicles.
I’m attaching slides from a webinar I hosted last month and some more resources below:
The application deadline is 11:59PM (ET) on July 25, 2024. The EPA anticipates notifying selectees by November 2024 and awarding the grants by February 2025.
The U.S. Department of Transportation FHWA has announced $800 million available to fund new CFI applications (Round 2). Applications due August 28th.
Up to $521 million will fund applications previously submitted but not selected under CFI Round 1. (Applications were due July 1st, two applicants resubmitted from our region, we’ll keep you all updated if awarded, fingers crossed.)
This funding opportunity consists of two program areas outlined below:
Community Program
Funds projects to strategically deploy electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, hydrogen fueling infrastructure, propane fueling infrastructure, and natural gas fueling infrastructure located on public roads or in other publicly accessible locations.
Corridor Program
Funds projects to strategically deploy charging and alternative fueling infrastructure located along designated alternative fuel corridors.
We regularly meet with our stakeholder to plan for alternative fuel and infrstructure, these current funding opportunities allow folks to ACT on those plans. Don’t miss out on these opportunities. Please reach out to alicia@ytcleancities.org if you want any support on this grant.
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is now accepting grant proposals for emissions reduction projects across the state.
Proposed projects must involve methods to mitigate nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from vehicles listed within the eligible mitigation actions established in DEQ’s Volkswagen (VW) Mitigation Plan.
More detailed information about eligible mitigation actions can be found in DEQ’s mitigation plan, which is available at https://deq.wyoming.gov/outreach-public-information/volkswagen-settlement/.
DEQ will fund accepted grant proposals from $1,000,000 of funding provided through the Volkswagen Settlement Funds.
In 2019, DEQ awarded over $500,000 VW Settlement funds to Grand Teton National Park, Western Wyoming Beverages, the Jackson Hole Airport, and Sublette County School District #1. YTCC supported both Jackson Hole Airport and Grand Teton National Park on their applications.
This is an open and competitive process. Applicants must submit their proposals to DEQ no later than 5:00 p.m. January 31, 2024, to be considered. Project applicants will be scored on a numeric, 70-point scale. Points will be awarded based on how well applicants demonstrate that their project meets the criteria specified in the DEQ VW Mitigation Plan, as well as the level of detail included in the applicant’s responses to application questions. All project applicants will receive fair and equal consideration.
The following criteria will be used in selection and ranking of proposals
received:
Projects Eligible for VW Settlement funds:
Please reach out to alicia@ytcleancities.org if you would like to discuss a project.
Apply for the grant HERE.
YTCC hosted an informational webinar with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, you can find the recording HERE.
Clean school buses reduce emissions by 90-100%. The US EPA Clean School Bus Program, provides $5 billion over the next five years (through FY 26) to replace existing school buses with electric, propane, and compressed natural gas. The state of Wyoming has DERA and VW Funding programs to support the purchase of alternative fuel and newer diesel buses. The state of Montana also has DERA funding available to support the purchase of clean school buses.
The US EPA Clean School Bus Program application deadline was just extended to February 14th!
Our children’s health, the health of the planet and to be fiscally responsible.
(1) Chen Z, Salam MT, Eckel SP, et al.. Chronic effects of air pollution on respiratory health in Southern California children: findings from the Southern California Children’s Health Study. J Thorac Dis 2015;7:46–58
(2) afleet.es.anl.gov/afleet. Assumptions: Five fuels for school buses: electric, compressed natural gas, propane, diesel, and biodiesel. Utilizing various electricity mixes for electric school buses and North American natural gas for compressed natural gas. 15,000 miles per bus per year.
There are currently numerous funding sources to support the purchase of Clean School Buses in addition to the necessary charging stations needed if electric school buses are selected. The funding sources can cover nearly the entire cost of an electric bus and a significant portion of propane and CNG buses. The fuel costs of electricity, propane, and CNG are also significantly less than gasoline and diesel. The combination of the reduced upfront cost of the bus in addition to fuel cost savings provides a solid financial case for a school district in Montana or Idaho and the state of Wyoming (In Wyoming the state reimburses each school district for their bus and fuel purchases, therefore the state of Wyoming owns the school buses. The Department of Education receives the financial benefits of the clean school buses, which will free up budget spending for other prority areas in the state.)
By combining funding sources, a single electric school bus can save approximately $380,000 over the lifetime of the vehicle. If a school district chooses to implement 2-4 electric, propane or CNG buses into their fleet, the savings really stack up. See the image below to visualize the lifetime cost savings of one clean school bus for electric, propane and CNG, respectively.
There are many ways to view the cost savings associated with clean school buses. Please view the document linked below for a Wyoming-focused analysis of clean school bus savings.
Wyoming Clean School Bus Financial Analysis
If there are so many benefits, why do we not see more clean school buses on the road in our region? Well, there are a few barriers and they differ by state and school district, but we (YTCC), in addition to others in the state, including the Wyoming Outdoor Council, have been working to understand and help alleviate some of these barriers. However, one of the greatest barriers is misinformation, and we all can work together to ensure the facts about clean school buses are communicated properly. Please view the “Clean School Bus Program for Wyoming Schools” document and the Frequently Asked Questions to understand the barriers and responses to the perceived barriers.
Working towards more Clean School Buses in our region is unique in that every layer of the community can engage in some way. Some paths forward are below:
Parents: Write a letter to your school board and school superintendent requesting they deploy clean school buses. Make the letter personal and explain why clean school buses are important to you. Share the EPA’s clean school bus activity book with your children. SAMPLE LETTER TO SCHOOL BOARD.
Students: Send a letter to your school board and school superintendent requesting they deploy clean school buses. If you are a part of an environmental club, introduce the concept to your environmental club and send a letter to your school board and superintendent from the group. Also, request your school introduce the clean school bus activity book at appropriate grade levels.
Advocacy Organizations: Does your organization promote clean energy, climate, improved air quality, the well-being of children, and more? You can also send a letter to your local school board in addition to providing education at the state level, such as informing your elected officials at the state level about the value to our environment, health and finances.
Policymakers: Those at the state level can introduce legislation and support legislation as it promotes an easier transition to electric vehicles. As this legislation is introduced we’ll provide updates here.
School Districts Fleet or Business Manger: The EPA has developed a very short hand-out succinctly explaining the steps to follow when assessing your school bus fleet’s compatibility with electric school buses, this can be slightly modified for propane and CNG. Quick Guide to Electrifying Your School Bus Fleet.
(1) Understand route and energy needs
(2) Select preferred charging strategies
(3) Identify infrastructure requirements
Clean School Bus Program for Wyoming Schools
Cold weather impacts on electric school buses
Educational resources for students
Sample letter to school board (PDF)
Sample letter to school board (Word)
Havre, MT Cold Weather Rural School District Case Study
Wyoming Clean School Bus Financial Analysis
Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities (YTCC) is excited to announce a significant expansion of its sustainable fuel efforts with Renewable Diesel now available at public gas stations in Belgrade, MT; Jackson, WY; and Nampa, ID. This collaborative effort, with Parkland USA and Farstad Oil underscores YTCC’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a practical way and promoting cleaner transportation solutions in the region.
Renewable Diesel is a premium alternative to traditional diesel fuel that is produced from renewable resources such as animal fats, vegetable oils, and other organic feedstocks. It is a lower-carbon emitting, high-performance fuel that can help reduce the environmental impact of transportation while maintaining the efficiency and increasing reliability demanded by consumers.
“We are thrilled to bring Renewable Diesel to Belgrade, Jackson, and Nampa,” said Jesse Therien, Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities, Project Manager. Jesse has been working persistently and attentively for over a year to educate fleet managers and station owners in the region about the benefits of Renewable Diesel.
“This endeavor not only supports YTCC’s mission but also aligns with the broader goal of the Biden administration to transition to a decarbonized transportation system”, said Alicia Cox, Executive Director of Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities.
Renewable Diesel offers several key benefits, including:
Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Renewable Diesel produces up to 75% fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional diesel, contributing to a cleaner environment.
Improved Air Quality: Using Renewable Diesel can help reduce air pollutants and particulate matter, leading to improved air quality in urban areas.
Compatibility with Existing Engines: Renewable Diesel can be used in existing diesel engines without modifications, making it a practical choice for fleets and individual drivers. It reduces DPF regens and DEF consumption.
“It has been a pleasure to work with Jesse and Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities to be the first to offer renewable diesel in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming,” Cole Mort, Sales Manager Northern Regional Operating Center (ROC).
YTCC is actively working with local gas station owners, fuel distributors, government agencies and businesses to facilitate the introduction of Renewable Diesel at public stations as well as deliveries to specific fleet fueling locations. Through educational outreach and logistical support, YTCC works to make this sustainable fuel option easily accessible to those in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
The success of this partnership will not only benefit the local communities by offering cleaner fuel options but also contribute to the nationwide effort to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. YTCC recognizes the critical importance of expanding access to domestic sustainable fuels like Renewable Diesel to meet environmental goals and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
