U.S. Department of Transportation: Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program

The Charging and Fueling Infrastructure discretionary program is a new program established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program aims to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure, hydrogen fueling infrastructure, propane fueling infrastructure, and natural gas fueling infrastructure along designated alternative fuel corridors or in certain other locations within communities that will be accessible to all drivers of electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, propane vehicles, and natural gas vehicles.

Eligible Activities for Corridor Grants:
* Contract with a private entity for acquisition and installation of publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure, hydrogen fueling infrastructure, propane fueling infrastructure, or natural gas fueling infrastructure
* An eligible entity and the private entity with which it contracts may enter into a cost-sharing agreement under which the private entity provides a portion of the revenue from the eligible infrastructure to the eligible entity. The revenue received by the eligible entity from the cost-sharing agreement may only be used for a project that is eligible under Title 23, United States Code.
* Use a portion of awarded funds to provide operating assistance to a private entity for the first 5 years of operations after the installation of the eligible infrastructure while the facility transitions to independent system operations.
* Operating assistance is limited to the costs allocable to operating and maintaining the eligible infrastructure and service and may not exceed the amount of the contract to acquire and install the eligible infrastructure.
* Acquire and install traffic control devices located in the right-of-way to provide directional information to eligible infrastructure acquired, installed, or operated with the grant. See solicitation for more information.

Eligible Activities for Community Grants:
* Grants may be provided for projects that are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to expand or fill gaps in access to publicly accessible alternative fueling infrastructure. This includes development phase activities; and acquisition and installation of eligible infrastructure. See solicitation for details.
* Contract with a private entity for the acquisition, construction, installation, maintenance, or operation of alternative fueling infrastructure that is directly related to the charging or fueling of a vehicle.
* A recipient of a Community Grant may use not more than 5% of the grant funds on educational and community engagement activities to develop and implement education programs through partnerships with schools, community organizations and vehicle dealerships to support the use of zero-emission vehicles and associated infrastructure.
* Any traffic control device or on-premises sign acquired, installed, or operated with a grant under this program shall comply with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, if located within a roadway right-of-way. See solicitation for details.
* Grants for propane fueling infrastructure are limited to infrastructure for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

For Corridor Grants, eligible infrastructure shall be located along an alternative fuel corridor designated under 23 U.S.C. 151, on the condition that any affected Indian tribes are consulted before the designation.
For Community Grants, eligible infrastructure may be located on any public road or in other publicly accessible locations, such as parking facilities at public buildings, public schools, and public parks, or in publicly accessible parking facilities owned or managed by a private entity.

Awarding considerations for Corridor Grants:
* consider the extent to which the project would improve alternative fueling corridor networks, meet current or anticipated market demands for eligible infrastructure, enable or accelerate the construction of eligible infrastructure that would be unlikely to completed without Federal assistance, support a long-term competitive market for eligible infrastructure without significantly impairing existing alternative fuel infrastructure providers, provide access to alternative fueling infrastructure in areas with a current or forecasted need, and deploy eligible infrastructure for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and in proximity to intermodal transfer stations;
* ensure to the maximum extent practicable, geographic diversity amongst recipients,
* consider whether the private entity that the eligible entity contracts with submits the most recent year of audited financial statements and has experience in installing and operating eligible infrastructure, and
* consider whether the eligible entity and the private entity that the eligible entity contracts with enter into an agreement to operate and maintain eligible infrastructure, including whether the agreement provides a remedy and opportunity to cure if requirements in the agreement are not met.

Awarding considerations for Community Grants:
* priority given to projects that expand access to eligible infrastructure within rural areas, low- and moderate- income neighborhoods, and communities with a low ratio of private parking spaces to households or a high ratio of multiunit dwellings to single family homes;
* consider the extent to which the project contributes to geographic diversity of awards and meets current or anticipated market demands for eligible infrastructure, including demands to minimize the time it takes to recharge or refuel.

Amount: Corridor Grant awards will range from a minimum of $1 million to no maximum award amount; Community Grants will range from $500,000 – $15 million.

Cost share: The Federal share shall not exceed 80% of the total project cost.

Eligibility: Eligible entities include: a State or political subdivision of a State; a metropolitan planning organization; a unit of local government; a special purpose district or public authority with a transportation function, including a port authority; an Indian tribe; a territory of the United States; an authority, agency, or instrumentality of, or an entity owned by, 1 or more entities described above; or a group of entities described above.

For Community Grants only, a State or local authority with ownership of publicly accessible transportation facilities is also eligible.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=346798

This post was filed under: