News brief:
The U.S. Department of Transportation is spending nearly $1.7 billion to modernize and electrify bus systems across the country, the agency announced Monday. Grants were awarded to communities in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Montana.
Millions will go toward replacing aging diesel buses and vans with low-emissions vehicles – especially in mountain towns like Teton Village, Wyo., Winter Park, Colo. and the Lake Tahoe area. Funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the investment will double the number of zero-emissions transit buses on American roadways.
"Every day, over 60,000 buses in communities of all sizes take millions of Americans to work, school, and everywhere else they need to go," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. "Today’s announcement means more clean buses, less pollution, more jobs in manufacturing and maintenance, and better commutes for families across the country."
The money will also help renovate depot, maintenance and storage facilities, as well as build electrical charging equipment and improve bus stops. Other Mountain West communities set to receive funding include Park City, Utah, Missoula, Mont., Albuquerque, N.M and Colorado Springs, Colo.
This announcement comes as the Biden administration is trying to highlight its investments in infrastructure and manufacturing. Spending packages for high-speed internet and environmental restoration have also been announced recently. Just 33 percent of Americans approve of how the president is handling the economy, according to a recent poll.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
