Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 8-21-20

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HART Receives $2.7M Grant For Electric-Powered Buses
FTA Grant will allow for the purchase of up to four electric buses and necessary charging infrastructure
U. S. Rep. Kathy Castor was joined by HART leaders on Wednesday morning to announce $2.7 million ($2,742,675) in a grant from the U. S. Department of Transportation to speed HART (Hillsborough Area Regional Tran- sit) into the future of mass transit – a clean system that burns no fuel, generates no pollution and runs nearly silently.
America needs to make different transportation and infrastructure choices in the years ahead than it has made in the past. And we have to do at an enormous scale. That's why I am so excited that we're really getting started here in my home- town," said Congresswoman Castor (FL 14) during a virtual
REP. KATHY CASTOR
media conference held in Tampa on Wednesday, August 12th.
The grant from the Federal Transit Administration’s Bus and Bus Facilities grant program will purchase up to four, clean, electric- powered buses and supporting in- frastructure. TECO is also a funding
ATTY. CAROLYN HOUSE-STEWART Interim CEO
partner by providing a 50 percent match for infrastructure to ensure that this project is successful.
This announcement comes after the U. S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, chaired by U. S. Rep. Castor, just released a comprehensive action plan for a
clean energy economy that includes recommendations to boost DOT funding for the purchase of zero- emission transit buses.
“When we roll out these buses, I know our riders will be proud to say that they have one of the cleanest commutes in Hillsborough County," said HART Board Chair Mariella Smith.
HART’s Interim CEO, Atty. Carolyn House Stewart thanked Rep. Castor for her continued support of public transportation.
“HART is proud to have been se- lected as one of 5 projects within the state of Florida that will receive funding. The agency will purchase up to 4 electric buses and support- ing infrastructure. The three transit routes identified are within the core service area in “Opportunity Zones” as defined by US Dept. of Treasury. These zones have a poverty rate of at least 20%.”
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