I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 3537
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a pilot program to
facilitate the use of natural gas buses at public airports through grants
for energy demonstration and commercial application of energy tech-
nology, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
DECEMBER 19, 2001
Mr. CROWLEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Science, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a
pilot program to facilitate the use of natural gas buses
at public airports through grants for energy demonstra-
tion and commercial application of energy technology,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Clean Airport Bus Act
of 2001’’.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall establish a pilot program for awarding grants
on a competitive basis to eligible entities for facilitating
the use of natural gas buses at public airports through
airport bus replacement and fleet expansion programs
under this section.
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—Not later than 3 months after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall es-
tablish and publish in the Federal Register grant require-
ments on eligibility for assistance, and on management,
transfer, and ultimate disposition of buses, including cer-
tification requirements to ensure compliance with this Act.
(c) SOLICITATION.—Not later than 6 months after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall so-
licit proposals for grants under this section.
(d) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS.—A grant shall be award-
ed under this section only to a public agency responsible
for bus service at a public airport.
(e) TYPES OF GRANTS.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Grants under this section
may be for the purposes described in paragraph (2),
paragraph (3), or both.
(2) REPLACEMENT
BUS
GRANTS.—A grant
under this section may be used for the acquisition of
replacement buses pursuant to subsection (f).
(3) FLEET EXPANSION BUS GRANTS.—A grant
under this section may be used for the acquisition of
not more than 10 buses to expand a fleet of airport
buses at any single airport.
(f) REPLACEMENT BUS GRANTS.—
(1) REPLACEMENT.—For each bus acquired
under a replacement bus grant, 1 older model year
bus shall be retired from active service and crushed
as provided in paragraph (2).
(2) BUS ACQUISITION.—Buses acquired under a
replacement bus grant shall be acquired in the fol-
lowing order:
(A) First, new buses will replace buses
manufactured before model year 1977, and the
older buses replaced shall be crushed.
(B) If all buses manufactured before model
year 1977 owned or operated by the grant re-
cipient have been replaced, additional new buses
will replace diesel-powered buses manufactured
before model year 1991, which shall either—
(i) be crushed; or
(ii) be exchanged by the grant recipi-
ent for buses manufactured before model
year 1977 from another bus fleet, with
that bus then being crushed.
Exchanges made under subparagraph (B)(ii)
shall be made without profit or other economic
benefit to the grant recipient.
(3) PRIORITY OF GRANT APPLICATIONS.—The
Secretary shall give priority to awarding grants to
applicants emphasizing the replacement of buses
manufactured before model year 1977.
(g) CONDITIONS OF GRANT.—A grant provided under
this section shall include the following conditions:
(1) All buses acquired with funds provided
under the grant shall be operated as part of the air-
port bus fleet for which the grant was made for a
minimum of 5 years.
(2) Funds provided under the grant may only
be used—
(A) to pay the cost, except as provided in
paragraph (3), of new natural gas airport
buses, including State taxes and contract fees;
and
(B) to provide—
(i) up to 10 percent of the price of the
natural gas buses acquired, for necessary
natural gas infrastructure if the infrastruc-
ture will only be available to the grant re-
cipient; and