SSCC Executive Director Carl Lisek & SSCC staff this week are attending virtual meetings with Indiana legislators & their staff members in Washington D.C. as part of the Transportation Energy Partners' Energy Independence Summit 2021 Capitol Hill Week. SSCC is enjoying sharing information about the successes of our members & partners with our elected officials while looking ahead to new projects & incentives. Thank you to all of our elected officials for your participation!

Round 3 of Ind. VW grant funding, which will distribute awards ranging from $50,000 to $2 million, is open for applications through June 1, with a total of $12 million available. Grants will be awarded for clean air projects that significantly reduce diesel emissions across Indiana. Details can be found in the Member Center. Follow the links & register to join SSCC's Carl Lisek & IDEM's Shawn Seals at 1 p.m. CDT April 13 for a Webinar on VW Grant Options for School Bus Fleets or at 1 p.m. CDT April 15 for a Webinar on VW Onroad & Nonroad Grant Options. Contact us at (219) 644-3690 today to learn how we can help maximize the success of your application!

Join South Shore Clean Cities, Wisconsin Clean Cities, Chicago Area Clean Cities & Greater Lansing Area Clean Cities from 1 p.m.-2 p.m. CDT April 7 for the latest installment in the Lake Michigan Consortium Webinar series, the Nonroad Equipment Operations Webinar! Scheduled speakers include Bryan Summers, Regional Manager, HicksGas; Grant Wilson, Director of Product Management & Mark Linkletter, Business Development Manager, Ariens Gravely; Jorge Campos, Equipment Supervisor, Forest Preserves of Cook County and Ryan Lisek, Project Manager, South Shore Clean Cities. Register here

Mark your calendars for the South Shore Clean Cities Annual Conference & Expo! We'll be back at the Blue Chip Stardust Event Center in Michigan City, Indiana on August 10 for our must-attend event with indoor vehicle displays, two expo halls, breakout sessions & our annual awards ceremony. Sponsorship and registration opening soon. Interested in sponsoring? Email Catherine Yoder or call her at (219) 644-3690.

American Electric Power is helping fleet operators replace existing buses with electric at no additional cost. AEP will cover the price difference between an electric bus & the conventional replacement bus, up to $250,000 per bus. AEP will also help cover the cost of charging equipment & installation, up to $4,175 each for school buses & up to $60,600 each for transit buses. The school districts & transit agencies must be located in Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia or West Virginia & the bus must operate in those states. Additional details are available in the Member Center. Call us today at (219) 644-3690 for application assistance!

SSCC member NIPSCO & EDP Renewables announced plans this month for two renewable energy projects in White County. The agreements are the third and fourth projects EDP Renewables & NIPSCO have entered. They previously executed agreements for the 302 MW Indiana Crossroads I Wind Farm & the 102 MW Rosewater Wind Farm. The projects add to 11 renewable energy projects previously announced as part of NIPSCO parent NiSource's "Your Energy, Your Future" initiative, which calls for the company to be coal-free by 2028. Learn more

Join the Michiana Area Council of Governments from 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Eastern April 28 for the Partners for Clean Air Virtual Event! The event includes a regional air quality update from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, a virtual tour of Wa-Nee Community Schools‘ transition to propane school buses, as well as recognition of the 2021 award winners. Register here

Join South Shore Clean Cities for our next quarterly virtual membership meeting! These casual, members only, one hour meetings will take place quarterly during the lunch hour and will allow our members to engage with us and with each other. Please join us from 12 p.m.-1 p.m. CDT Wednesday, May 12 for our next meeting. Login information is available in the Member Center under the Member Resources tab or by contacting Catherine Yoder via email or by phone at (219) 644-3690. Looking forward to seeing you there!

If I said I want my next car to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lessen the impact on climate change, what type of vehicle would you envision? What if I said I want my next car to get better gas mileage? What type of vehicle comes to mind? Let’s take it one step further: What do you think my political views might be based on either of those two statements? Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, environmental issues became political issues drawn along party lines. For some, the terms green, sustainable and climate change became so controversial, they stopped using them for fear of upsetting certain demographics. Read Carl Lisek's monthly column in The Times of Northwest Indiana

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced on March 10 its intent to issue three sustainable transportation technologies funding opportunity announcements this spring. The opportunities seek innovative research, development, demonstration & deployment in the pursuit of technologies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the transportation sector. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration is accepting applications for the Low or No Emission Grant Program for transit vehicles through April 12 as well. The Indiana Office of Energy Development is also accepting Rural Energy Innovation Grants from businesses & nonprofits through March 31. Contact us at (219) 644-3690 today to learn how we can help maximize the success of your application!

Best Equipment Company -- headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana – has been a South Shore Clean Cities member since 2009. The family-owned and operated company celebrated its centennial in 2017. Owners Mike and Maria Dahlmann became involved in the company in the early 1980s and acquired the business from Mike’s father in 1998. Having specialized in environmental equipment solutions since 1917, Best Equipment has a long history of providing Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky with productive, environmentally sound, efficient, budget-saving solutions. Learn more

SSCC Executive Director Carl Lisek's weekly radio show "Green Fleet Radio" airs three times each Wednesday on Lakeshore Public Radio with generous support from NIRPC. This month, SSCC Communications Director Lauri Keagle filled in as guest host & welcomed guests Ezra Finkin of Diesel Technology Forum, Bryan Summers of HicksGas/DCC Propane, Rhoderick Poats of School City of Hammond, Tom Dakich of Digital Crossroad and Mitch Barloga of NIRPC. Listeners can tune in to Lakeshore Public Radio at 89.1 FM or stream online. Catch up on past shows on our Website. 

Natural gas is a domestically produced alternative fuel that is readily available to end-users through the utility infrastructure. It can produce significantly fewer harmful emissions than gasoline or diesel when used in natural gas vehicles. Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons, predominantly methane (CH4). As delivered through the pipeline system, it also contains hydrocarbons such as ethane, propane and other gases such as nitrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and water vapor. Natural gas has a high octane rating and excellent properties for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. Learn more on our Website