The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law last year established a $2.5 billion grant program for charging and fueling infrastructure. In January, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the agency responsible for administering the program, issued a Request for Information inviting interested parties to tell FHWA what questions and issues should be addressed as they develop guidance for applicants and move forward with implementing the program.
The five-year program will fund construction of fueling stations for alternative fuel vehicles, including those that run on natural gas and hydrogen. Grant-funded fueling stations must be located in a designated alternative fuel corridor established by the Department of Transportation or in a publicly accessible location.
Many APGA members already operate fueling stations that serve fleet vehicles, refuse trucks, transit and commercial vehicles. Public natural gas systems are eligible to apply for this funding, which could be used to expand those operations. For members that do not currently operate fueling stations, this funding could offer the opportunity to construct one and start taking advantage of natural gas vehicles in both your own fleet and in your community.
APGA anticipates that some member systems or their local government partners will want to take advantage of this funding opportunity, so APGA submitted comments to FHWA late last week. The comments sought clarity on whether funds can be used to expand or modify existing fueling stations in addition to new construction, emphasized the importance of ensuring all eligible fuel sources receive equal consideration, and stressed the need to account for the increased use of renewable natural gas as a transportation fuel when considering the emissions reduction benefits of natural gas fueling stations.
APGA’s submission is available
here. APGA will continue to monitor FHWA’s rollout of this program and will keep members informed when the application process opens.
For questions on this article, please contact Emily Wong of APGA staff by phone at 202-470-4262 or by email at
ewong@apga.org.