Wyoming Receives Nearly $1 Million in Federal Money for Electric Buses

By K.L. McQuaid

Special to the Wyoming Truth

The federal government on Monday awarded nearly $1 million to the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) to buy battery-electric buses and charging equipment to replace diesel vehicles in and around Teton Village and nearby resorts.

The four new zero-emission buses, which will serve nearly 500,000 visitors and workers in the Jackson area, are slated to improve service and reliability while reducing maintenance costs, federal officials said.

The $945,178 grant from the U.S Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration will be administered and overseen by the Teton Village Association Improvement and Service District.

“Every day, over 60,000 buses in communities of all sizes take millions of Americans to work, school and everywhere else they need to go,” Transportation Department Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

“Today’s announcement means more clean buses, less pollution, more jobs in manufacturing and maintenance and better commutes for families across the country.”

In addition to Wyoming, the administration announced 18 electric bus projects in Western states, including Colorado, Washington and Oregon.

In all, over 130 transportation projects in 46 states and U.S. territories were unveiled with a total cost of nearly $1.7 billion. Funding for the projects was part of the Biden administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into law in November 2021.

Since its passage, the initiative has invested $3.3 billion into creating more environmentally friendly buses and the infrastructure to support them. Over the next five years, another roughly $5 billion will be allocated.

Transportation officials said Monday’s grants will double the number of zero-emission buses on American roadways and cover the costs to train mechanics to maintain and repair them.

WYDOT officials referred an inquiry to Teton Village Association officials, who did not respond to requests for comment on the grant.

Several Western states fared better in receiving grants than Wyoming. Colorado was awarded $8 million; Iowa received $43.5 million; Montana got $39.1 million; Oregon took in $17.1 million; South Dakota obtained $2.6 million; Utah was awarded $24.4 million; and Washington received $59 million.

“These grants will help deliver a cleaner and more modern mode of transportation, designed to reach everyone and to work for everyone, particularly in places that haven’t received enough resources in the past,” FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez said in a statement.