Prairie State Wire

ROCKFORD – U.S. Senator Durbin (D-IL) today announced $6.3 million in federal funding to help convert the Rockford Mass Transit District’s (RMTD) fleet to electric vehicles. This funding comes from $2.3 million in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) Durbin secured in the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) Omnibus Appropriations Act for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and $4 million from Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Low-No Emission Bus Grants Program, which Durbin pushed to significantly increase in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. RMTD aims to transition to a zero-emission fleet by 2036, and the funding Durbin secured will help advance that goal.

“Thanks to this substantial federal funding, we are embarking on the transformative journey toward an electric future,” said Durbin. “By supporting Rockford Mass Transit District’s transition to an all-electric fleet, we prioritize sustainability, cleaner air, and a reduced carbon footprint that sets a shining example for communities across the nation.”

The $2.3 million in Congressionally Directed Spending Durbin secured for RMTD will be used to purchase two battery electric buses. This was part of Durbin’s larger statewide earmark of $6.7 million for electric bus and charging needs across Illinois. The $4 million in federal funding from FTA’s Low-No Emission Bus Grants Program will be used to purchase four new hybrid buses. RMTD will also receive federal funding from a statewide grant, of more than $12 million to IDOT, to purchase two electric paratransit vehicles. Both the $4 million grant and the paratransit vehicle funding were part of $36.7 million in federal funding that Durbin helped secure this year for Illinois transit agencies’ bus projects via FTA’s Low-No Emission and Buses and Bus Facilities Programs.

Original source can be found here.