Here’s how Bellingham is getting millions more to fight climate change
Whatcom County’s mass-transit agency has received a federal grant to buy eight electric buses and build related charging facilities.
A grant of $8.9 million to the Whatcom Transportation Authority from the Federal Transportation Administration was announced Thursday, Aug. 11, in a statement from U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen.
Larsen, D-Everett, said the grant will take eight diesel rigs out of service, and he urged the transportation administration to consider Whatcom County’s bus agency for its Low or No Emissions Vehicle grant program.
“Electric buses would also help WTA reduce its impact on overburdened communities located near high-traffic transit routes. In Whatcom County, 60 percent of people below the poverty threshold reside within a quarter mile of a WTA bus stop. In fact, three apartment complexes for low-income residents are located within a quarter mile of WTA’s downtown transit hub,” Larsen said in his letter of support to the transportation administration.
“WTA’s project aligns with the (Biden) administration’s goal of ensuring 40 percent of federal program funds benefit projects designed to help disadvantaged communities. If funded, this project would enhance WTA’s efforts to provide a reliable and sustainable public transportation system and keep pace with current and increasing ridership demand throughout Whatcom County,” he said.
Larsen’s current district includes part of Bellingham and Whatcom County, but with recent redistricting, he will represent all of the county starting next year.
Bellingham City Councilman Michel Lilliquist, who also serves as WTA board chairman, said the mass-transit agency is prepared to move quickly toward zero-emission service.
“It will help turn WTA’s long-term plans for cleaner, less-polluting buses into a reality. We’ve already invested in the charging infrastructure, and have a ready power source, trained drivers, and skilled mechanics to handle the new technology. This grant removes the last major hurdle for success,” Lilliquist said in a statement.
This new grant comes a day after Whatcom County announced that it has received $35 million in state and federal grants to replace the diesel Lummi Island ferry with an electric vessel.
