Pennsylvania’s Governor Tom Corbett has awarded more than $6.7 million in Act 13 funding to a total of 18 companies and government organizations in the state. The governor’s office said Act 13 from 2012 authorized the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to implement the State’s Natural Gas Energy Development program, which distributes up to $20 million in grants over three years to help pay for the conversion of heavy-duty fleet vehicles to natural gas.

Corbett’s administration also announced that on May 25 the Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant (AFIG) program will begin, which will provide approximately $10 million to help companies and organizations purchase or convert compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), or bi-fuel vehicles that weigh less than 14,000 pounds. The funds can also apply to electric, propane, or other alternative-fuel vehicles of any weight.

The $6.7 million from this round of Act 13 funding will go to a number of government entities, including Centre County, which is receiving $140,359 for the purchase of 10 CNG-fueled vehicles; The Rose Tree Media School District, which is receiving $499,994 to convert 14 buses to CNG and purchase eight CNG-fueled buses; the Erie Metropolitan Transport Authority, which is receiving $300,000 toward the purchase of 12 CNG-fueled buses; the Borough of Chambersburg, working with IESI and Shippensburg Borough, which is receiving $472,500 toward the purchase and/or retrofit 19 CNG vehicles; and the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority, which is receiving $350,000 to convert 14 CNG vehicles.

According to the Corbett administration, $5 million of the initially available funds were reserved for local transportation organizations, which is an Act 13 requirement. An additional $11 million will be available in August, with 50% of funds designated for use by local transportation organizations. Corbett’s administration added that the third and final round of grant funding is set to open on an as-yet unannounced date in 2014.

Vehicles eligible for all three rounds of funding from the Natural Gas Energy Development program include those fueled with CNG, LNG, or bi-fuel vehicles that weigh 14,000 lbs. or more. The grant requests can’t exceed 50% of the incremental purchase or retrofit cost per vehicle or a maximum total of $25,000 per vehicle, according to the State.

To find out more about Pennsylvania’s AFIG and Act 13 grant programs, visit www.dep.state.pa.us and click the “Natural Gas Vehicle Grant Program” button on the homepage.