The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County will receive millions in federal funding to support its ongoing efforts toward building a more sustainable, climate-friendly transit system as part of its larger Climate Action Plan.
The details
More than $40 million will be awarded to METRO for the following project as part of its transition to a zero-emission fleet, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration. Here is the project scope and cost allocation, according to METRO:
- Buy 40 renewable natural gas-fueled buses, $28 million
- Retrofit maintenance bays at Hiram Clarke station in southwest Houston, $6 million
- Build a renewable natural gas refueling facility at Hiram Clarke station in southwest Houston, $6 million
- Workforce development training, $2 million
Terms to know
Here are the basics of renewable natural gas, which is what will fuel the new, cleaner bus fleets, according to METRO:
- Renewable natural gas captures biowaste from dairies, farms, food waste, landfills and wastewater treatment plants
- Converts the biowaste into biogas
- Processes the biogas to make it biomethane and make it pipeline ready
- Injects the biomethane into the pipeline for future use
The specifics
Officials with the FTA announced at the end of June that it will be awarding more than 100 projects totaling nearly $1.7 billion in 46 states and territories in order to put “better, cleaner American-made buses on the roads across the country,” according to the federal agency.
One of those entities receiving funding was METRO.
“Today we are creating new opportunities to dramatically improve the lives of millions of Americans who ride on buses every day. Thanks to the president’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, these grants will help deliver a cleaner and more modern mode of transportation, designed to reach everyone, and to work for everyone, particularly in places that haven’t received enough resources in the past,” FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez said in a news release.
The backstory
METRO released its official Climate Action Plan in April 2022 and committed to the following by 2030:
- Procure only zero-emission buses by fiscal year 2030.
- Minimize environmental impacts on the health and safety of its employees.
- Apply green principles to the design and management of facilities.
- Promote energy management and waste-reduction opportunities.
- Work with other organizations towards shared environmental goals.
What’s next
METRO will maintain its bus replacement schedule while reducing carbon emissions with renewable natural gas vehicles, according to the FTA.
