MTA and NYC DOT Announce Congestion Relief Funds Fuel Expansion of Clean Trucks Program

NYC DOT to Begin Accepting New Applications on Earth Day

Expansion Funded By $20 Million Congestion Relief Funds

Rebate Incentive Program Encourages Replacement of Heavily Polluting Diesel-Powered Trucks

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) today on Earth Day announced the expansion of the NYC Clean Trucks Program with $20 million from the Congestion Relief Zone (CRZ) tolling program. The funds allow the NYC DOT to help clean the air by beginning to accept new applications to replace hundreds of older diesel trucks with new electric, hybrid, compressed natural gas, or clean diesel vehicles today, April 22, using additional rebate incentive funding.

"The Clean Trucks expansion is the latest of many environmental investments being funded by congestion relief revenues," said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. "It's another step to ensure congestion pricing is delivering reduced traffic and cleaner air not only within the tolling zone but citywide."

"Another win for congestion pricing on the books," said Mayor Zohran Mamdani. "This $20 million investment to replace polluting diesel trucks with clean, battery-electric alternatives is an investment in our lungs, in our neighborhoods, and in New Yorkers who deserves to breathe clean air. I'm grateful for the close collaboration with our City and State partners as we continue to deliver safer streets, healthier communities and a greener future for New York City."

"Congestion pricing helped reduce traffic, clean our air, and continues to raise funding to support mass transit and protect our environment," said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. "This additional revenue will help us expand our program to replace highly polluting trucks on our streets with cleaner alternatives. We thank the MTA for the support and collaboration."

"Reducing diesel emissions is a critical step toward improving air quality and protecting the health of New Yorkers, particularly in communities that have long suffered from high rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses," said NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin. "Clean air is essential for healthy living, and the investments from the Congestion Relief Funds significantly reduce harmful pollutants, bringing us closer to a future where every New Yorker can breathe easier. Initiatives like this one underscores our commitment to addressing environmental health inequities and building a healthier, more equitable city for all."

Funding for the NYC Clean Trucks Program was included as part of the more than $330 million mitigation plan in the Congestion Relief Zone Tolling Program's Environmental Assessment as a way to reduce diesel exhaust emissions by replacing older, heavy-polluting diesel trucks with new battery-electric, clean diesel trucks, or Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-emission-compliant alternative fuel. The program so far has replaced 714 diesel trucks since 2012, resulting in a 97% reduction of fine particulate matter (24.3 tons/year) and an 89% reduction in nitrogen oxides (418.6 tons/year).

The Clean Trucks Program provides rebate incentives to businesses that purchase eligible trucks. To be eligible, trucks must:

• Meet operating requirements in Disadvantaged Communities and do business in an NYC Industrial Business Zone
• Drive more than 70% of their miles in the tri-state area (New York/New Jersey/Connecticut)
• Replace eligible older diesel trucks with lower emission electric, hybrid, compressed natural gas (CNG) or clean diesel vehicles

The rebate incentive program eases the financial burden of purchasing new trucks and helps to accelerate the deployment of medium- and heavy-duty Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), Plug-In Electric Vehicles (PHEV), Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) or diesel-fueled trucks. Rebate incentives range from $12,000 to $340,000 per truck replacement, depending on fuel type and truck class size. The incentive funds provide point-of-sale rebates to reduce the cost for commercial fleets that want to purchase new trucks with advanced and clean fuel technologies. For more information, visit NYC Clean Trucks Program.

The total number of participating trucks funded with the $20 million from Congestion Relief will depend on the fuel type and size of the trucks replaced.

The NYC Clean Trucks Program builds upon the success of the Hunts Point Clean Trucks Program, which started in 2012, providing incentive funding to fleets operating in South Bronx neighborhoods where the incidence of asthma and respiratory illnesses is three times the National average (two times the City average). In 2020, NYC DOT expanded the program to provide funding for applicants in program-approved New York City Industrial Business Zones across the city and then renamed it the NYC Clean Trucks Program.

The expansion also builds on a recent mitigation milestone, funded by Congestion Relief revenue, to improve air quality in the Bronx - the replacement of over 20 diesel-powered transport refrigeration units (TRUs) at the Hunts Point Produce Market with clean diesel or hybrid models. A total of $15 million will go toward this initiative.