The Department of Environmental Protection is pleased to announce that the Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant (AFIG) Natural Gas Vehicle program will open a grant round Sat. May 25. The grant will offer an estimated $10 million for the purchase or conversion of medium- to light-weight natural gas vehicles (under 14,000 pounds), as well as the conversion or purchase of electric, propane or other alternative fuel vehicles of any size. Eligible applicants include school districts, municipal authorities, political subdivisions, incorporated non-profit entities, corporations, and limited liability companies or partnerships located in Pennsylvania. Eligible vehicles include dedicated bi-fuel and dual-fuel LNG or CNG vehicles weighing less than 14,000 pounds as well as dedicated liquid propane gas, hydrogen, hythane (any combination of CNG and hydrogen) biofuel (B100 or straight vegetable oil) and electric vehicles of any weight. Applicants interested in purchasing or converting one or two alternative fuel vehicles are encouraged to partner with other eligible applicants to aggregate their vehicles into a single application to satisfy the five vehicle minimum. Grants will cover no more than 50 percent of the incremental purchase or retrofit cost.

Applications will be accepted online using DCNR’s eGrant system: www.grants.dcnr.state.pa.us.The application deadline is 4 p.m., July 26, 2013. Grants will be awarded in the fall. Additional information, including a link to the guidance document and Regional Energy Manager contact information, is available on DEP’s website www.dep.state.pa.us (click on the Natural Gas Vehicle Grant Program button).

Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities will host a series of alternative fuel workshops. The program was developed by the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) by a grant from the United States Department of Energy, Clean Cities Program. The program will emphasize alternative fuels, advanced technology vehicles, fuel economy and idle reduction. The event will take place at the Westmoreland Conservation District on June 20, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. We encourage audiences such as state, county, and local government officials, fleet managers, stakeholders, private and public organizations, automotive technicians and anyone else interested in alternative fuel use.

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a $9 million funding opportunity for the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. The plan will accommodate applicants nationwide to reduce diesel pollution and emissions from fleets. The program’s purpose is to improve the overall air quality in designated areas. Eligible applicants include regional, state, local or tribal agencies/consortia or port authorities, Nonprofit organizations, school districts, municipalities and metropolitan planning organizations. The funding applies to idle-reduction technologies, retrofit technologies, aerodynamic technologies and low rolling resistance tires and early replacement and repower. This opportunity will only be available for a limited time. The deadline to submit applications is 4:00 p.m. on June 25.

For more information on how to apply, click here.

Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities will host a propane-based petroleum reduction workshop on Fri., April 26 at CCAC West Hills Center. The event will take place 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. following the semi-annual stakeholders meeting. The workshop will highlight the advantages of propane fuel and vehicles. Speakers will discuss health, environmental, economic and energy security benefits. Safety precautions will also be emphasized. Fleet managers will gain insight on available options to convert vehicles to propane. Don’t miss out on this opportunity!

Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities will be holding its semi-annual stakeholder meeting. The meeting will include announcements, committee updates and upcoming training sessions. It will be held at CCAC on Fri., April 26 from 8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. We hope to see you there, so don’t forget to mark your calendars! For more information, please contact Rick Price at 412-735-4114 or Jan Lauer at 412-874-7193.

To register for the Stakeholder Meeting  Click HERE to register. 

The Community College of Allegheny County will offer a 1-credit Servicing Hybrid Electric Vehicle course for the Fall 2013 semester. The course will focus on familiarizing students with servicing hybrid electric vehicles. Topics will include steering, braking and air conditioning systems. The course will be held at the CCAC campus with day and evening options. The day course will take place Oct. 9-10 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The evening course will take place Nov. 12, 14, 19 and 21 6:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m. The course will feature more specific instructions on safety methods. Students will learn how to utilize a scan tool to analyze hybrid vehicle data. For more information, contact Bob Koch rkoch@ccac.edu or 412-788-7378. A course description can be found here.

The Community College of Allegheny County will feature a 1-credit Introduction to Hybrid Electric Vehicle course for the Fall 2013 semester. Students will learn about hybrid electric vehicles and the components, such as the battery and inverter. The course will take place at the CCAC campus with day and evening time options. The day course will take place Oct. 2-3 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The evening course will take place Oct. 22, 24, 29 and 31 6:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Instructors will emphasize high voltage safety hazards associated with the vehicles. People must take caution when performing maintenance on a hybrid vehicle. As hybrid system classifications vary, students will be able to identify each by the end of the course. In addition, instructors will go over emergency response information and guides. For more information, contact Bob Koch rkoch@ccac.edu or 412-788-7378. A course description can be found here.

The Community College of Allegheny County will offer a 1-credit compressed natural gas fuel system inspector course. The undergraduate level course will educate students on the perks of using compressed natural gas. Students will be able to know how a CNG vehicle operates. Instructors will guide participants through steps to inspect CNG vehicles and the fuel system parts. The course will be held at the CCAC campus and will take place in March and April. The first course will take place April 2-11 on Mondays and Tuesdays 6:30-10:30 p.m. The second course will take place May 13-14 from 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For more information, contact Bob Koch at rkoch@ccac.edu or 412-788-7378 .

Click here for the course name and number: here.