Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) announced that the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) will receive $6.7 million to fund the purchase of three hydrogen fuel cell electric buses and safety improvements along bus routes across Las Vegas. The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe will also receive $115,000 to expand transit options for Pyramid Lake residents.
“These grants will help Nevada invest in clean, reliable public transportation, and I’m proud to have advocated for this funding,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “As we continue to work towards a sustainable future, it is essential that we encourage more innovative and green transportation improvements across the Silver State.”
“Nevadans rely on public transit every day, and we can create a more sustainable future by increasing transportation options powered by clean energy,” said Senator Rosen. “The millions of dollars that Nevada is receiving will help modernize our public transportation system and lower our carbon emissions as our state leads the transition to a renewable energy economy.”
The Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Low or No Emission and Buses and Bus Facilities Grant Programs provides funding to state and local government for the purchase or lease of zero-emission and low-emission transit buses and facilities. Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen wrote a letter of support for the RTC funding, which will help the RTC procure three hydrogen fuel cell electric buses, solar lighting for 250 bus stops, and pedestrian detection and collision avoidance software for nearly half of the RTC’s 800 transit buses.
Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen helped pass provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to support clean-energy production and deployment of clean transportation options. The Inflation Reduction Act that passed the Senate last week also includes provisions to support low-emissions vehicles. Senator Cortez Masto has been a leader on investments in green transportation options through work on the bipartisan infrastructure law and her support for federal funding for these important grant programs.
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