From the Federal Transit Administration:
43 Transit Projects Chosen to Reduce Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The Obama Administration today announced $100 million in Economic Recovery Act funding for 43 transit agencies that are pursuing cutting-edge environmental technologies to help reduce global warming, lessen America's dependence on oil and create green jobs. Among the projects funded under the competitive bidding, Alabama will replace gasoline and diesel buses with electric hybrids, Massachusetts will construct wind energy generation turbines and Vancouver, Washington, will install solar panels at transit facilities.
"This is a sign of things to come," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who made the announcement in Atlanta, the site of the largest award. "This shows how investing in green transportation not only helps the planet, but creates jobs and strengthens our economy. It also shows how much more we can do."
The 43 winning proposals were submitted by transit agencies from across the country as part of a nationwide competition for $100 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funds. Selection criteria included a project's ability to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and also to provide a return on the investment. Other criteria included readiness to implement, applicant capacity, degree of innovation and national applicability. The Federal Transit Administration reviewed more than $2 billion in applications for these funds.