Biden Harris Administration Announce More Than $9 Million for Clean Heavy Duty Vehicles in Indiana as Part of Investing in America Agenda

Biden-Harris Administration Announce More Than $9 Million for Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles in Indiana as Part of Investing in America Agenda

Nationally 70 applicants selected to receive funding for over 2,400 zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles, along with infrastructure and workforce development projects, to tackle climate change, reduce air pollution, and advance environmental justice 

December 11, 2024

Today, December 11, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it has selected the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to receive $9,305,301to assistin the purchase of 32 zero-emission vehicles through the first-ever Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program.

EPA's Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant program, created by President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, will replace existing internal combustion engine heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission vehicles, while also supporting the build out of clean vehicle infrastructure, as well as the training of workers to deploy these new zero-emission technologies. Together, the selected projects announced today will reduce harmful emissions from heavy-duty vehicles, support good-paying jobs, and improve air quality in communities across the country, particularly in those that have been overburdened by air pollution. 

"Thanks to President Biden, we are accelerating American leadership in developing clean technologies that address the impacts of climate change," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan."Together, the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant projects announced today will slash air pollution and enhance the country's infrastructure for cleaner transportation solutions, creating good-paying jobs along the way." 

"Every American deserves clean air to breathe,"said EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore. "Thanks to the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant program, communities throughout the Great Lakes region are receiving critical funding to improve local air quality and transition their vehicle fleets towards a cleaner and more sustainable future." 

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has been selected to receive an anticipated$9,305,301. This project expects to replace 32 diesel school buses with 32 electric school buses and install 16 DC fast charging units.

Across the nation, over 3 million Class 6 and Class 7 vehicles are currently in use, spanning a wide variety of vehicle types and vocations. Many of these are older vehicles that emit higher levels of harmful pollutants than newer vehicles. This pollution is associated with respiratory and cardiovascular disease, among other serious health problems. Children, older adults, those with preexisting cardiopulmonary disease, and those of lower socioeconomic status are particularly vulnerable to these health impacts. Cleaning up pollution from heavy-duty vehicles helps protect the health of 72 million people living near truck freight routes in America.

EPA's Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program will accelerate the adoption and deployment of eligible Class 6 and 7 zero-emission vehicles. Vehicles eligible for replacement include older vehicles powered by internal combustion engines that pre-date recent EPA emission standards. 

In total, EPA announced 70 applicants across 27 states, 3 Tribal Nations, and 1 territory have been selected to receive over $735 million to assistin the purchase ofover 2,400 zero-emission vehicles through its first-ever Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program.

Proposed replacement vehicles include battery-electric box trucks, cargo trucks, emergency vehicles, refuse/recycling haulers, school buses, shuttle buses, step vans, transit buses, utility vehicles, and other vocational vehicles, as well as a small number of hydrogen fuel cell transit buses. In addition, the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program also funds zero-emission vehicle fueling infrastructure (e.g., electric vehicle charging stations), as well as workforce development and training. These investments support the implementation of the Biden-Harris Administration's National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization and the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy. 

Approximately 70% of the funding awarded today will support the purchase of clean school buses, helping provide clean air for children on their ride to school. These awards complement EPA's Clean School Bus program through the President's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which has awarded nearly $3 billionfor nearly 9,000clean school buses to date.  

The Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program advances President Biden's Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

EPA will work with selected applicants over the coming weeks to finalizeawards. EPA currently anticipatesfinalizing awards in early calendar year 2025 once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied. Project implementation will occur over the next two to three years depending on the scope of each project.

Please visit the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program webpagefor additionalinformation and updates as EPA works with tentatively selected applicants to finalizeawards and implement their projects.

Questions may also be directed to c[email protected].

For further information and to stay up to date on matters related to our office, sign up for the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles listserv.

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