Federal funds are coming to Michigan in the form of two grant awards this week, including $2.6 million for Detroit with the Low or no Emissions (Low-No) Grant program, which has sought low-emission and zero-emission methods of city transportation.
“For a city like Detroit that was once one of the largest transit communities in the nation, this funding is crucial,” U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI). “In the past, this issue can partially be attributed to the city’s lack of annual transit spending, using only $69 per capita on transit each year, compared to cities like Seattle that spend over $400. Eco-friendly public transit is essential to all big cities for the people to utilize in their everyday lives, whether that is to school, work, or visiting family. The Low or No Emission Grant Program is an opportunity to rebuild our bus systems and reinvest into the people of Detroit who keep the city alive. Now is the time to evolve.”
The Low-No grant program gives money to state and local government agencies to support transit projects, be it through purchasing or construction. They focus on environmentally conscious and new tech-savvy infrastructure, including a revamp to existing bus fleets. Under the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, the program allows for $55 million of investment per year until 2020.
Beyond this, the Department of Labor also provided a $1 million grant award to the State of Michigan, as part of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Workforce Data Quality Initiative. The funds will help the state more accurately chronicle information related to education and training programs for better evaluation.