Delaware gives $1 million boost to alternative fuels

More than $1 million in grant money will go toward building alternative fueling options throughout the state, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) announced Tuesday.
“When it comes to contributing to climate preparation and resiliency, the importance of using alternative fuels cannot be overstated,” said Kathy Harris, a clean transportation policy analyst for the state, in a release.

Delaware’s network of charging stations! Are you ready to try an electric vehicle? #fuelingthefuture pic.twitter.com/c6oMD2JUBl

— Earth Day is Every Day (@susanelove) May 24, 2016

The proposed projects from five groups will yield 19 new fueling locations.
Here’s the breakdown:

• Chesapeake Utilities, with $500,000, will build a compressed natural gas fast-fill refueling station in Dover.
• The Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation, with $55,962, will install two fast-charging stations at Blue Ball Barn in Wilmington and Indian River Marina at Rehoboth Beach.
• Royal Farms, with $349,902, will build 10 fast-charging stations at stores in Smyrna, Dover, Milford, Georgetown and Laurel.
• The University of Delaware, with $8,846, will install three charging stations on campus.
• Sharp Energy, with $86,375, will add propane fueling stations in Red Clay, Sutton Bus and School Mule school yards.

The announcement was made at a Dover event called Fueling the Future: Clean Transportation for a Greener Delaware, hosted by DNREC’s Delaware Clean Cities Coalition and Division of Energy and Climate, according to a release. The grant money is part of Delaware’s Clean Transportation Incentive Program.
https://twitter.com/billfasano/status/735125979102883840
The First State is angling to decrease its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by the year 2030, Delaware Public Media reported, and transportation currently makes up 34 percent of the state’s emissions. Delaware has a vested interest in achieving this, the report noted, as it is the country’s lowest-lying state and is threatened by rising sea levels.
“Promoting and supporting the use of vehicles powered by cleaner alternative fuels,” said DNREC Secretary David Small in a release, “such as electricity, propane and natural gas plays a vital role in our mission to grow Delaware’s clean energy economy, reduce transportation’s environmental footprint and fight the long-term effects of climate change in our state.”