Portland, OR – Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that Oregon has been awarded $7.5 million for investments in new buses and light rail vehicles in Portland and Eugene. The awards include $4.2 million for Tri-Met to install technology that will enable light rail vehicles to turn virtually all of their braking power into energy, allowing them to depend less on power from the electrical grid, and over $3.3 million for the Lane Transit District to purchase hybrid buses.
“Riding the bus or light rail helps reduce our dependence on overseas oil, strengthens our national security and reduces air pollution,” said Merkley. “These grants for advanced technology serve those goals and make riding the bus or the MAX even more energy efficient for Oregonians.”
“The energy-saving technologies made possible by these funds will cut back on pollution and improve the efficiency of Eugene’s bus and Portland’s light rail systems,” Wyden said. “Putting people to work improving the way that many get to work is a win-win for Oregon.”
The grants were awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s TIGGER II (Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction) program to help reduce the energy consumption or greenhouse gas emissions in public transportation systems and the Clean Fuels Program