December 2023 Edition

GWRCCC helps distribute turkeys and Thanksgiving meals at the Greenbelt Mall

BGE EVsmart Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland

November 28, 2023

Fleet Coaching

GWRCCC is offering 30 minutes of coaching for a limited number of fleets each month.

For more information, contact the GWRCCC office at (202) 671-1580.

GWRCCC would like your help as we gather input on our constituent’s level of interest for electric vehicles. We greatly appreciate your time to complete our 30 second survey which will help us better educate and advocate for electric vehicle infrastructure, programs and initiatives in the Greater Washington Region and the nation.

Thinking about installing workplace charging?

Sign the EMPOWER Pledge!

By signing the EMPOWER Program pledge, your business or organization pledges to try to provide resources and guidance to ensure EV charging is accessible to all communities in the DC, Maryland, Virginia region. Join us in promoting sustainability for employees in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia region.

We don’t need project specifics, just a commitment. By signing, you will try to install at least one EV charging station in the future.

Contact Dianne Little at [email protected] with questions

How this City’s Idling Habit is Costing

$63.3 Million in Fuel, 97,000 tons of CO2 Annually* (GoGreen)

View the Presentation Here.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office's (IEDO) Cross-Sector Technologies (CST) FOA focuses on high-impact, applied research, development, and pilot demonstration projects to advance the transformational cross-sector technologies and innovations required to reduce energy use and GHG emissions across the industrial sector. FOA topics include electrification of industrial heat, efficient energy use in industrial systems, and decarbonizing organic wastewater and wet waste treatment.

View the CST FOA. Concept papers are due December 18, 2023, at 5:00pm ET, and full applications are due March 20, 2024, at 5:00pm 

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office's (IEDO) Energy- and Emissions-Intensive Industries (EEII) funding opportunity will focus on applied RD&D for the highest GHG-emitting industrial subsectors, specifically: chemicals and fuels; iron and steel; food and beverage; building and infrastructure materials (including cement and concrete, asphalt pavements, and glass); and forest products. Together, these industries account for more than 65% of U.S. industrial manufacturing emissions that have global impacts. Decarbonizing these subsectors will have immediate impacts on overall manufacturing and far-reaching impacts on domestic supply chains across the U.S. economy.

This funding opportunity will also include a joint topic with the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) focused on pre-front-end engineering and design (pre-FEED) studies that support the development of decarbonized industrial processes using approaches that include innovative, pre-commercial technologies. Potential pre-FEED areas of interest include: (a) integration of green hydrogen as a feedstock in clean fuels, chemicals, and iron and steel production; (b) carbon capture for select industrial sectors; and (c) integration of multiple decarbonization technologies for chemical production, mineral processing, and iron and steel.

View the EEII NOI.

The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) has launched its OPEN Energy Program, which provides opportunities to submit applications for innovative energy projects and initiatives that are outside of the agency’s established suite of programs. Many of these projects help generate new opportunities for clean energy technologies, especially those that are nearing commercialization. The OPEN Energy Program’s grants also encourage energy and workforce development, and help recipients become more productive and competitive by implementing greenhouse gas-mitigating measures.  

The Maryland Energy Administration estimates that the funding level for the OPEN Energy Program, which is in its third year of operation, will be $3.5 million in fiscal year 2024 (FY24). Full details on the program are included in the FY24 Funding Opportunity Announcement. To be considered for FY24 funding, it is strongly suggested that OPEN Program proposals be submitted before January 31, 2024.

The Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant program (Community Change Grants), created by the Inflation Reduction Act, offers an unprecedented $2 billion in grants under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The Community Change Grants will fund community-driven projects that address climate challenges and reduce pollution while strengthening communities through thoughtful implementation. This historic level of support will enable communities and their partners to overcome longstanding environmental challenges and implement meaningful solutions to meet community needs now and for generations to come. There will be two tracks of funding under this opportunity. Track I will fund approximately 150 large, transformational community-driven investment grants of $10 million - $20 million. Track II will fund approximately 20 meaningful engagement grants of $1 million - $3 million. Grants cannot exceed 3-years in duration. Learn more here.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $1.5 Billion Available through the 2024 RAISE Grant Program

The U.S. Department of Transportation has published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for $1.5 billion in grant funding through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program for 2024. The popular program helps communities around the country carry out projects with significant local or regional impact. 



RAISE discretionary grants help project sponsors at the state and local levels, including municipalities, Tribal governments, counties, and others complete critical freight and passenger transportation infrastructure projects. The eligibility requirements of RAISE allow project sponsors to obtain funding for projects that may be harder to support through other U.S. DOT grant programs. 

View the NOFO here.

Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility (ICAM) Grants

FTA announced the availability of $4.7 million in Fiscal Year 2023 competitive grant funding for projects that improve access to vital services for older adults and people with disabilities, and in low-income communities.

FTA's Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility (ICAM Grants), supports public transportation projects that improve state and regional coordination and will help advance the goals of the President's Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.

Applications are due by 11:59 PM ET Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Federal EV Tax Credits

The IRS has issued new guidance on electric vehicle (EV) tax credits for 2023.

Manufacturers and Models for New Qualified Clean Vehicles Purchased in 2023 or After

If you bought and placed in service a new qualified plug-in electric vehicle (EV) or fuel cell vehicle (FCV) on January 1, 2023 or later and meet certain income limitations, you may be eligible for a clean vehicle tax credit up to $7,500.

Credits for New Clean Vehicles Purchased in 2023 or After

If you buy a new plug-in electric vehicle (EV) or fuel cell vehicle (FCV) in 2023 or after, you may qualify for a clean vehicle tax credit. Find out if you qualify.

Alternative Fuels Tax Credits and Grants

New tax credits and grants have been released for alternative fuels by the Federal government and are available online at the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center. Tax credits for biofuels, electric vehicles and related infrastructure are included. Grants include port electrification programs under the EPA.

Curbside Electric Home Charging Pilot

Curbside Electric (formerly, Kerb-e) has a grant from the Maryland Energy Administration to install curbside charging at select homes and common-ownership-communities in Montgomery County. To be considered for the pilot, sign-up on their website: https://www.curbelectric.com/maryland

Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Tool, Moves Climate Change Performance Measure Forward (US DOT Federal Highway Administration)

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced a finalized performance measure that will provide State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) a national framework to track transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), along with the flexibility to set their own targets for reduction.

Read more here.

Port Authority Welcomes Sustainable Air Travel as JFK Airport Prepares for Arrival of First Flight Using Greener Jet Fuel

(Port Authority NY NJ)

When Virgin Atlantic’s Flight 100 arrives this afternoon at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) from London’s Heathrow Airport, it will open a new chapter in aviation history. The flight marks the world’s first transatlantic commercial trip powered by 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to land at JFK, a momentous occasion as the Port Authority looks to push the airline industry to a more sustainable future... Read more.

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