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WASHINGTON � U.S. Transportation Secretary
Anthony Foxx recently awarded $24.5 million in Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) grants to 11 airports around the country to reduce emissions and improve
air quality through the FAA�s Voluntary Airport Low Emission (VALE) and Zero
Emissions Airport Vehicle (ZEV) programs. �These
programs are crucial to our efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions and make our
skies and roads more environmentally-friendly,� said U.S. Transportation Secretary
Anthony Foxx. �The U.S. Department of
Transportation is committed to working with airports and communities across the
nation to improve air quality and protect the health of future generations of
Americans.� VALE
is designed to reduce all sources of airport ground emissions in areas that do
not meet air quality standards. The FAA established
the program in 2005 to help airport sponsors meet their air quality
responsibilities under the Clean Air Act. Through these programs, airport sponsors can
use Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds and Passenger Facility Charges (PFCs)
to help acquire refueling and recharging stations, electrified gates, low-emission
vehicles, and other airport-related air quality improvements. The
ZEV program, created through the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012,
allows airport sponsors to use AIP funds to purchase vehicles that produce zero
exhaust emissions. AIP funds can cover up
to 50 percent of these total project costs. Airport sponsors also can use federal funds to
pay for any needed infrastructure construction or modification needed to
facilitate the delivery of the fuel and services for these vehicles. �The
FAA continues to award grants for projects with short-term and long-term emissions
reductions benefits on or near airports,� said FAA Administrator Michael P.
Huerta. �These airports must be
responsible environmental stewards and good neighbors to their surrounding
communities.� The
$23.4 million in VALE grants include: - Chicago O�Hare International,
$2 million
� to purchase and install 15 ground power units (GPUs) and pre-conditioned air
(PCA) units, which will allow aircraft arriving at overnight parking positions to
shut off their auxiliary power units and connect to a clean central heating and
cooling system. The project will save
fuel and reduce aircraft emissions on the ground.
- Memphis
International, $1.3 million � to purchase and install three GPUs and PCA units.
- Baltimore-Washington
International Thurgood Marshall, $2.5 million � to purchase and install eight
GPUs and eight PCAs for passenger gates.
- Phoenix Sky
Harbor International, $1 million � to install 28 charging stations in Terminal
four for electric ground service equipment.
- Port Columbus
International, OH, $2.7 million � to purchase and install 13 GPUs and
11 PCAs at passenger gates.
- Birmingham-Shuttlesworth
International, AL $2.6 million � to purchase seven clean fuel burning
vehicles and a refueling station.
- Indianapolis International,
$3.9 million
� to purchase and install 12 GPUs and 22 stationary pole lights. The stationary pole lights will replace
diesel-powered lights and will help illuminate ramp operations on the cargo
apron to improve safety and reduce fossil fuel emissions.
- William P.
Hobby, Houston, TX, $1.6 million � to purchase and install five PCAs and
GPUs for passenger gates.
- Cleveland
Hopkins International, $1.1 million � to install four GPUs and PCAs for
passenger gates.
The $955,088 in ZEV grants include: - Hartsfield-Jackson
Atlanta International, $926,789 � to purchase one electric shuttle bus for
passenger service from terminal to terminal and fund infrastructure needed to
charge the vehicle, including one wireless inductive charging pad and one
long-term charging area.
- Lambert-St.
Louis International, $28,299 � to fund four electric utility carts for
on-airport emergency services, and other uses.
Through VALE, airports are reducing ozone emissions by
approximately 801 tons per year, which is equivalent to removing more than 44,735
cars and trucks from the road annually. In fiscal year 2014, the FAA
issued $16.6 million in VALE grants for nine projects at nine airports. Since
2005, the FAA has funded 87 VALE projects at 44 airports, which represents a
total investment of $215 million in clean airport technology. That amount
includes $173 million in federal grants and $42 million in local airport
matching funds. The Airport Improvement Program (AIP) provides more
than $3 billion in annual funding for projects that are vital to maintaining the
safety, security, capacity, efficiency, and environmental stewardship of the
nation�s airports. More than 3,300
airports are eligible for AIP grants benefiting commercial passengers, cargo
operations, and general aviation activities throughout the nation. The
VALE program supports the objectives of the President�s Climate Action Plan. The Plan builds on efforts to address climate
change and support clean energy innovation. The Plan also includes historic investments in advanced vehicle and fuel technologies, public
transit, and rail under the Recovery Act. The investments also include ambitious new
fuel economy standards put into place for cars and trucks, which the
Administration has worked to develop since 2009 in collaboration with
industry. For
more information about the programs, visit www.faa.gov/airports/environmental/vale and www.faa.gov/airports/environmental/zero_emissions_vehicles.
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