DNREC Division of Energy & Climate to launch revamped Clean Transportation Incentive Program

Rebates encourage Delaware drivers and businesses toward environmentally-friendly, money-saving vehicles

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Energy & Climate today announced an extension of its popular Clean Transportation Incentive Program in response to Delawareans’ rising demand for cleaner fuel and electric vehicles. The current program will expire Oct. 31. Changes to the program – including updated rebate amounts and modified requirements – will apply to cars and equipment purchased on or after Nov. 1, 2016.

Encouraging drivers to choose clean, cost-effective cars
The Clean Transportation Incentive Program was launched in July 2015 to encourage Delaware drivers and businesses to purchase and lease alternative fuel vehicles, including vehicles that run on propane, natural gas and electricity. Alternative fuel vehicles produce less or no tailpipe emissions, reducing both unhealthy pollution and the greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change.

The Clean Transportation Incentive Program offers rebates for the purchase or lease of alternative fuel vehicles and the charging stations needed to support electric vehicles. Highlights from the updated program include the following rebates:

  • $3,500 for battery electric vehicles
  • $1,500 for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles with gasoline range extenders
  • $1,500 for dedicated propane or natural gas vehicles
  • $20,000 for heavy-duty dedicated natural gas trucks

“Drivers of electric, propane and natural gas vehicles save money on fuel and maintenance costs while knowing that they’re making an environmentally-responsible choice. The Clean Transportation Incentive Program was designed to make that choice easier,” said Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Planner Morgan Ellis, Division of Energy & Climate.

“Electric cars in particular are cheaper to power and don’t require the high maintenance of gas cars,” Ellis added. “Many people worry that electric cars are too expensive, but with their reduced operating costs and the rebates available through the Division of Energy & Climate, many electric vehicle drivers actually pay less over time than those who drive gasoline-powered cars.”

Rebate amounts vary based on the type and cost of the vehicle and/or equipment. In addition to state rebates, manufacturer rebates and federal funding opportunities and tax incentives also may be available.

Rebates are also available for electric vehicle charging stations. The program will provide a rebate for 50 percent of the cost of a residential charging station, and up to 75 percent of the cost of a charging station installed in a commercial area or workplace; price caps apply.

For more information, visit de.gov/cleantransportation, where full details on the updated program are posted.

Clean Transportation Incentive Program successful statewide
The Clean Transportation Incentive Program has been well-received across Delaware during its first 14 months. More than 225 Delawareans across all three counties have received rebates for electric vehicles – more than twice the program’s original target. In addition, seven businesses and organizations have received rebates for the addition of clean fuel vehicles to their fleets.

“The electric cars alone that have come through this program decrease the carbon dioxide emissions in our state by 900 tons each year,” said Climate Section Administrator Susan Love, Division of Energy & Climate. “In order to protect ourselves from the effects of climate change – including dangerous high temperatures and flooding – we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. This program is an example of the tangible actions the state is taking to do that.”

The Division of Energy & Climate also awarded more than $1 million in grants to projects that will add at least 10 new electric car charging stations, three propane fueling stations for clean fuel school buses and a public compressed natural gas refilling station. These new projects add to the alternative fuel network within Delaware, which currently has about 50 public charging stations. Delaware is also working with neighboring states to build a comprehensive alternative fuel network within the region, so drivers can feel confident that they’ll always have somewhere to charge or fill up.

Delaware’s Clean Transportation Incentive Program is made possible through Delaware’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is a market-based emissions trading program designed to reduce emissions from the electricity generation sector. Delaware’s proceeds from RGGI are invested in energy efficiency, renewable energy, emissions reductions programs and programs that benefit energy consumers. In addition to providing funds, RGGI encourages innovation, growing a clean energy economy and creating green jobs.

Media contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 340

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DNREC postpones Thursday, Sept. 29 Clean Power Plan public workshop for New Castle County; will be rescheduled

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Air Quality planned to hold three public workshops this week to share information with Delawareans on climate change, the EPA’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) and how Delaware intends to comply with it, as well as advising the public on how to take advantage of related grants and other programs offered by DNREC’s Division of Energy & Climate. The first two workshops – in Sussex County this evening and in Kent County tomorrow – will go on as planned, but a scheduling conflict has forced postponement of the New Castle County workshop originally set for Thursday, Sept. 29.

The workshops to be held as scheduled are:
• Sussex County: 4:30-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 27, Millsboro Senior Center, 214 Irons Avenue, Millsboro, DE 19966
• Kent County: 4:30-7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 28, City of Dover Public Library, 35 East Loockerman Street, Dover, DE 19901

Please note that DNREC will be rescheduling the New Castle County workshop that was to be held Thursday from 4:30 -7:30 p.m. at the Bellevue Community Center in Wilmington. The workshop will be held later at a date yet to be determined. DNREC regrets any inconvenience this postponement may cause and will announce the date for the rescheduled workshop as soon as it is determined.

For more information on the workshops, or to request accommodations for hearing impairment or language translation, please contact Valerie Gray, DNREC Division of Air Quality, at 302-739-9402 or email valerie.gray@delaware.gov.

Vol. 46, No. 351

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DNREC holding public workshops Sept. 27, 28 and 29 for state’s Clean Power Plan

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Air Quality will hold three public workshops later this month to share information with Delawareans on climate change, the EPA’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) and how Delaware plans to comply with it, as well as how to take advantage of grants and other programs offered by DNREC’s Division of Energy & Climate.

Workshops will be held as follows, with one in each county:
Sussex County: 4:30-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 27, Millsboro Senior Center, 214 Irons Avenue, Millsboro, DE 19966
Kent County: 4:30-7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 28, City of Dover Public Library, 35 East Loockerman Street, Dover, DE 19901
New Castle County: 4:30-7:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 29, Bellevue Community Center, 500 Duncan Road, Wilmington, DE 19809

“Through these workshops, we are inviting Delawareans to participate in the decision-making process and development of Delaware’s state Clean Power Plan,” said Valerie Gray, Division of Air Quality planning supervisor. “We want to involve our communities on how they could be impacted by this plan, and work together to develop strategies to further reduce emissions.”
“We’ll also share information on the state’s free weatherization assistance program, which has helped hundreds of Delawareans cut energy use in their home and lower their monthly bills,” said Rob Underwood, Division of Energy & Climate energy administrator. “We invite community members to come learn about the programs DNREC has dedicated to cleaner energy use for healthier communities.”

The workshops will be held in an open format, with DNREC staff available for individual discussions. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions, discuss the issues and share their concerns.

For more information on the workshops, or to request accommodations for hearing impairment or language translation, please contact Valerie Gray, DNREC Division of Air Quality, at 302-739-9402 or email valerie.gray@delaware.gov.

For information on Delaware’s Weatherization Assistance Program, visit de.gov/wap  or call the Division of Energy & Climate at 302-735-3480.

The Clean Power Plan (CPP) was developed by the EPA to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. States are required to develop and submit their own Clean Power Plans for reducing these emissions to the EPA. EPA’s CPP is modeled after the Regional Greenhouse Gas initiative (RGGI), a program that Delaware and nine New England and Mid-Atlantic states developed and implemented beginning in 2009. RGGI reduces CO2 emissions by establishing a regional cap on the amount of CO2 that power plants can emit through the issuance of a limited number of tradable CO2 allowances. Since 2008, power plant emissions have decreased by over 50 percent. Delaware plans to comply with the federal requirements through continued participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). More information on the federal Clean Power Plan is available at https://www.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan, and on the RGGI program website at http://rggi.org/.

CONTACT: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 332

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Delaware Conservation Districts sponsor annual conservation poster contest with theme ‘We All Need Trees’

DOVER – The Kent, New Castle and Sussex Conservation Districts are now accepting entries in their annual conservation poster contest from K-12 students in public, charter, private or home schools. Posters will be judged on the 2016 theme, “We All Need Trees,” in the following grade categories: K-1, 2-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12. First, second and third place winners in each category will receive a cash prize of $50, $25 and $15 respectively. The state-level winning posters also will receive a cash award from the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD).

The deadline for poster entries is Friday, Oct. 28. In addition to regular posters, a special category for computer-generated posters is open to all high school students in grades 9-12 who take a graphics art/computer class or program of study. These entries will be judged at the county/state level only and will not be eligible for national judging.

Each Conservation District will submit first-place posters in each grade category for judging at the state level. In the event that an insufficient number of posters are received at the county level, the county level judging will be eliminated and all posters will be judged at the state level. First-place posters in each grade level will be entered into the national conservation district poster contest, with winners to be displayed during the national conference in Denver, Colo., Jan. 28-Feb. 1, 2017.

The student’s name, grade level, teacher and school must be clearly and legibly printed on the back of the poster. Posters must be hand-delivered or mailed flat in time to the meet the deadline to the Conservation District office in the county in which the student resides. Addresses are as follows:

  • New Castle Conservation District, 2430 Old County Road, Newark, DE 19702
  • Kent Conservation District, 800 Bay Road, Suite 2, Dover, DE 19901
  • Sussex Conservation District, 21315 Berlin Road, Unit 4, Georgetown, DE 19947

The annual conservation poster contest provides students an opportunity to convey their thoughts about soil, water, and related natural resource issues through art. It also highlights the educational outreach efforts of conservation districts and their state associations, auxiliaries and agencies. The contest follows the annual stewardship theme developed and sponsored by the National Association of Conservation Districts.

“We All Need Trees,” this year’s theme, reminds us of the important benefits that trees provide for air, water, shelter, food, clothing and soil. For more information and educational resources about the theme and poster contest guidelines, please visit the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) website.

For a flyer with Delaware’s poster contest guidelines, please visit www.newcastleconservationdistrict.org, www.kentcd.org or www.sussexconservation.org. For more information, please contact Rick Mickowski at 302-832-3100 ext. 113, or by email at Rick.Mickowski@delaware.gov.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 334


Filling out Division of Air Quality online customer satisfaction survey wins bicycle for Harrington woman

DAQ encourages Delaware public to continue to opt-in and complete survey so it can better gauge customer service

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Air Quality aims to get better mileage out of its customer satisfaction program in the future and used the Delaware State Fair as the vehicle this year not only to tout the program but to tout alternative means of transportation as its State Fair theme, with a drawing that awarded a new bicycle to Samantha Hudran of Harrington for completing DAQ’s online customer satisfaction survey after visiting the fair.

Ms. Hudran recent had her name drawn by DAQ Director Ali Mirzakhalili from a pool of other customer satisfaction surveys completed by State Fair visitors. In line with this year’s DAQ fair theme of promoting cleaner transportation alternatives, the division also encouraged survey participation by offering the bicycle as the drawing prize. DAQ recently began working to expand and improve its customer satisfaction program, Director Mirzakhalili said, and is now gauging the current level of customer satisfaction as an initial step forward.

He learned recently that Ms. Hudran, winner of the 10-speed bike, is a very knowledgeable DAQ customer, regularly reading DAQ’s air quality reports and “well aware of the continuous improvements in Delaware’s air quality” championed by DNREC and the Division of Air Quality. She and her family came to the DAQ’s Dover office at State Street Commons Aug. 19 to collect her prize.

The Division of Air Quality thanks Ms. Hudran and everyone who participated in the online customer satisfaction survey, especially those who took time to complete it, since their information provided valuable feedback for the division as it strives to achieve its highest customer satisfaction rating. DAQ still wants to hear from customers so please visit DNREC’s website at dnrec.delaware.gov/Air/Pages/DAQ-Customer-Satisfaction to opt-in and receive the survey and provide feedback.

Vol. 46, No. 311