The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VA DEQ) is overseeing a new $20 million program to electrify government vehicle fleets across the Commonwealth. The Clean Air Communities Program (CACP) is open to proposals by state, local, and tribal government entities to replace any of the following with full-electric vehicles: medium and heavy-duty diesel vehicles; marine and locomotive engines; and fossil-fuel burning airport equipment.
Unveiled by Governor Ralph Northam in July, the program is funded through Virginia’s Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust; an additional $14M from the trust will go toward fully electrifying the all-diesel cargo handling equipment fleet at the Port of Virginia. VA DEQ Director David Paylor notes that the program “will reduce pollution in communities that are underserved and most impacted by air pollution.”
The competitive application process is open, with evaluation criteria including emission reductions, cost-effectiveness, and location, and priority going to underserved communities.
Two webinars for prospective applicants will be held in October and November; see the CACP section of Virginia’s VW Trust webpage for more information.
