In This Issue
A Sustainable Arizona
CERES Event at State Capital
2023 Clean School Bus Grant Open
A Sustainable Arizona
April 22nd was Earth Day, and events all over the state shared the importance of adopting sustainable practices in order to protect our planet. VSCCC was proud to be one of the sponsors for Green Living Magazine’s Earth Day, “ Future of Sustainability in Arizona” event. This event brought together local AZ businesses to discuss sustainability issues and solutions. One such solution is the transition to cleaner fuels in our fleets and personal vehicles.
Arizona is already making great strides in the use of clean fuels and sustainable solutions. For example, many cities including Phoenix, Mesa and Scottsdale are utilizing alternative fuels like compressed natural gas (CNG) and biofuel blends in their fleets. Changes like these drastically reduce the amount of harmful emissions released into the air. State electric utilities, Salt River Project and Arizona Public Service are also doing their part by expanding renewable energy sources and helping their customers with EV charging solutions. Southwest Gas provides low emission natural gas fuel and now has several Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) facilities in operation. These RNG facilities capture and refine biogas from organic sources such as manure from dairy farms and waste water into fuel for use in homes and vehicles.
Projects through our state universities, like ASU’s Sustainable Cities Network, are also working to connect communities with resources and sustainable solutions. State agencies, like Maricopa County Air Quality Department are helping with the transition to alternative fuels with programs like the DERA State Clean Diesel Grant. This program works to replace older diesel engines with new cleaner burning ones or with zero emission vehicles. Along with the air quality department, Arizona’s Department of Transportation (ADOT) is working to expand Alternative Fuel Vehicle Corridors throughout the state and will be submitting new corridors for approval. Our cities, state departments and businesses are adopting sustainable practices and working hard to make sure our state and planet has a healthy future. Let’s all do our part too!
CERES Event at State Capital
VSCCC attended “Lawn Day” at the Arizona State Capital on April 4th. Sponsored by CERES, The Arizona Technology Council and Plug in America, this event was held in order to highlight the importance of sustainable practices and advocate for clean energy solutions. It allowed local businesses and organizations to share their clean energy plans and achievements with state legislator representatives. It is important that state representatives understand what clean energy solutions are being utilized successfully by Arizona businesses. Lawn day provided an opportunity for businesses to share these insights with our state representatives so that they can make informed policy decisions.
2023 Clean School Bus Grant Program
Electric Blue Bird School Bus
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has opened applications for the 2023 Clean School Bus Grant Program. This program funds the replacement of existing internal-combustion engine (ICE) school buses with electric, propane, or compressed natural gas (CNG) school buses, as well as the purchase of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) infrastructure and EVSE installations. Applications are due on August 22, 2023. School districts, state, local and tribal entities, charter school districts and select non-profits are eligible to apply. For more information and resources visit the EPA’s Clean School Bus page. The EPA will also be hosting webinars on the grant program.
Member Spotlight
Southwest Gas provides natural gas services to Arizona, Nevada, and portions of California and serves more than 2 million customers. Southwest Gas brings fuels and sustainable solutions to its customers.They have helped fleet customers throughout their service area reduce nearly 59,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by providing over 27 million therms of natural gas to be used as compressed natural gas(CNG) in place of diesel fuel. Southwest Gas Company is also partnering with 5 Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) projects to bring approximately 17.6 million therms of RNG to market each year.
