Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $5.3 Million in Grants to Electrify Garbage Trucks, Airport Transit, and Other Vehicles

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced that $5.3 million in grants have been awarded to 16 entities to support projects that will further electrify the Massachusetts transportation sector and help combat climate change. The funding will support the purchase of electric transportation equipment at Logan Airport, garbage trucks for cities and towns, onshore port charging in New Bedford, electric transit buses, and other transportation equipment across the state.  

“The transportation sector is one of our biggest climate challenges – it’s responsible for nearly 40 percent of our greenhouse gases,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We are proud to support upgrades to buses, trucks, and other high-emitting vehicles across the state that will go a long way toward helping us meet our net-zero goals.”  

“Electric vehicles are the future, and this grant program puts Massachusetts at the forefront of embracing this technology,” said Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll. “Increasing the number of electric vehicles traveling through our communities will improve air quality locally and help us meet our statewide climate goals.” 

The grants will fund eight new electric waste collection trucks, three transit buses, one school bus, one shuttle bus, nine pieces of airport ground support equipment and three pieces of airport cargo-handling equipment. Additionally, it will fund installation of one marine shore-power site, which allows vessels to turn off their engines while docked and still have use of critical electric-powered equipment. Seventy-five percent of the funding announced today is in environmental justice areas where there are high populations of minority, low-income, or low-English-proficiency residents. 

“Now is the time to embrace efficiency in the transportation sector,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “This grant program demonstrates Massachusetts’ continued commitment to reducing harmful emissions from diesel vehicles in our state. The vast majority of the funding announced today is heading to environmental justice communities.” 

These grants are funded by nearly $2.3 million from the Volkswagen emissions settlement and approximately $3 million from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s (MassDEP) Climate Mitigation Trust, created by payments from energy generators that have not met clean energy requirements. 

“We're putting these dollars to work in our communities to help demonstrate that newer clean technologies are just as effective as their polluting counterparts,” said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. “Spurring further investment in electric alternatives will bring our climate goals within reach.” 

MassDEP, which distributes the grants, estimates that this program will reduce emissions by 6.2 short tons per year of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and 530 short tons per year of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Nitrogen oxides contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter, which is linked to short- and long-term respiratory and cardiovascular health effects. More broadly, nitrogen dioxide and carbon dioxide emissions contribute to global warming, and detrimental nutrient overloading in waterways. 

The following entities were awarded funding from the Volkswagen Settlement: 

• 41 North Offshore, LLC, New Bedford – one shore-power installation –    $23,229
• Baystate Health, Inc., Springfield – one shuttle bus – $500,000 
• Current Trucking, LLC, Boston – one transit bus – $250,000 
• Current Trucking, LLC, Randolph – one transit bus – $250,000 
• Five Star Transportation, Inc., Chicopee – one school bus – $164,748
• Highland Electric Fleets, Inc, Brockton – $252,157
• Joseph’s Transportation, Medford – one transit bus – $500,000 
• Massachusetts Port Authority, Boston – three forklifts – $141,300 
• Southwest Airlines Co., Boston – eight bag tugs – $336,969
• Southwest Airlines Co., Boston – one pushback tug – $105,565

The following entities were awarded funding from the Climate Mitigation Trust for new electric waste vehicles: 

• City of Cambridge – $416,991 
• City of Holyoke – $500,000 
• City of Medford – $267,000 
• Republic Services, Inc., Fall River – $498,119
• Save That Stuff, Inc., Boston – $500,000 
• Town of Brookline – $364,511 
• Town of Oak Bluffs – $264,279 

“I am thrilled that Chicopee and Holyoke will be receiving grants to support the purchase of electric municipal vehicles and equipment,” said State Senator John Velis (D-Westfield). “Electric vehicles and equipment are one of the best tools to reduce our Commonwealth’s emissions and it is critical that municipalities receive the resources needed to be able to support the electrification of their vehicles and equipment. I am grateful to the Healey-Driscoll administration for these investments.”

“It is very encouraging to hear this news from the Department of Environmental Protection,” said State Representative Sean Garballey (D-Arlington), Chair of the House Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change.“Electrification of our transportation sector will go a long way towards lowering emissions and hitting important benchmark dates. I am particularly pleased to see the emphasis on environmental justice communities and the electrification of our waste collection fleet.”

“These grants to fund municipal electric vehicles are an important step in addressing air pollution,” said State Representative Christine P. Barber (D-Somerville). “The transportation sector is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and exacerbates health issues like asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Transitioning to electric vehicles improves our community’s health.”

“Here in Massachusetts, we have long been a leader in prioritizing action to address climate change through mitigating its many factors, including these kinds of greenhouse gasses,” said State Representative Patricia Duffy (D-Holyoke).“These grants are an important step to keep that work moving and they help illustrate how seriously we continue to take this issue.”  

Almost $2.3 million in funding came through the second Volkswagen grant solicitation under Massachusetts’s plan to spend its $75 million share of the VW Settlement funds; $7.5 million was allocated in a previous solicitation. Approximately $3 million in funding for curbside waste and recycling collection vehicles was funded by the Climate Mitigation Trust. This funding meets a commitment of the 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan to promote and encourage the electrification of solid waste collection vehicles, including waste collection and recycling trucks operating and traveling in environmental justice communities.

In addition to the federal Volkswagen settlement, Massachusetts – through the efforts of then-Attorney General Maura Healey and MassDEP – reached settlements in the state’s litigation with Volkswagen that included significant consumer relief and the largest-ever state environmental penalty of more than $20 million.

For more information, visit the Volkswagen Settlement and Refuse Truck program online. 

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