The Federal Transit Administration has awarded the Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC) $11 million from the Low-No Program to support the transition of the nation’s transit fleet to the lowest polluting and most energy efficient transit vehicles. The agency has now received more than $22 million through five separate federal grants to support the purchase of alternative-fueled buses.

DTC will use this funding to purchase two battery-electric buses and two hydrogen-fuel-cell electric buses, install two overhead electric charging stations, a large charger that would contain as many as 16 individual chargers, and a hydrogen fueling station.

These new buses will add to the current fleet of 26 electric buses, or about 10 percent of the total fleet of fixed route buses.
“Last fall, I announced Delaware’s comprehensive Climate Action Plan that includes the goal of minimizing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26 percent by 2025,” said Governor John Carney. “These continued investments are an important step in our efforts to address the leading source of these emissions which come from transportation.”

U.S. Senator Tom Carper, chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, championed these federal programs in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Delaware’s congressional delegation of Senators Carper and Chris Coons, along with Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) voted for the law, which invests in our nation’s infrastructure while combating climate change by investing in transportation electrification.

“Delaware is well on its way to transitioning its transit fleet to cleaner, energy efficient vehicles thanks to federal funding we worked hard to secure,” the delegation said. “Electric vehicles will help us achieve our shared climate goals, reduce harmful pollution, and foster economic opportunity.”

Delaware Secretary of Transportation Nicole Majeski added, “We are committed to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, particularly in disadvantaged communities, and each diesel bus we replace from our fleet with an energy efficient bus contributes to the state’s ongoing efforts to improve our air quality.”

“I’m very proud of the hard work and dedication put in the by the team here at DTC to reduce harmful emissions from the communities we serve by transitioning our fleet to low and zero emission buses,” said Delaware Transit Corporation CEO John Sisson. “This grant will allow us to continue these efforts to provide safe, clean and reliable transit services to the people of Delaware.”

The Delaware Transit Corporation, a subsidiary of the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), operates DART First State. For more information, please visit DartFirstState.com or call 1-800-652-DART. Real-Time Bus Information and DART Pass, the mobile fare payment option, are both available on the free DART Transit App (iOS and Android).

NEWARK, Del. – Governor John Carney announced Wednesday that state agencies will begin accepting applications to loan or grant money for drinking water and wastewater system improvements around the state, with capacity for historic levels of investment in water infrastructure from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the state Clean Water Trust, created in 2021.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — championed by U.S. Senator Tom Carper, U.S. Senator Chris Coons, and U.S. Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester and signed by President Biden in November 2021 — is a once-in-a-generation commitment to improving roads, bridges, transit, water and wastewater systems, broadband, energy and other infrastructure areas.

Cities, towns, counties, water companies and communities are eligible to apply for the increased and more flexible funding coming from the federal government to the existing Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) administered by the state Division of Public Health and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF, which focuses on wastewater and stormwater projects) administered by the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. As directed by Congress, these existing processes will manage requests and inquiries related to this funding. The joint DWSRF/CWSRF workshop to begin the 2022 application process takes place Thursday, March 24 at 10 a.m. and pre-registration is open.

On Wednesday, Governor Carney toured a City of Newark water facility that used funding from the state Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to construct a 250,000-gallon storage tank, install a contaminant removal system, and complete plant building upgrades that will allow for additional treatment if needed in the future.

Click here to view photos from the tour.

“Delawareans deserve clean water. It’s as simple as that,” said Governor Carney. “Access to clean and safe water should be a promise we make to our residents, and we need to protect this resource for future generations. The combination of the Clean Water Trust – led by Representative Longhurst and Senator Townsend – and the new federal funding led by Senators Carper, Coons and Congresswoman Blunt Rochester, will help us deliver on the promise of clean water for all Delawareans.”

With Delaware’s $315 million for clean water and drinking water from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, more money will be available for the next five years for the types of water and wastewater projects traditionally financed by the funds, and with dedicated funding for disadvantaged communities, to address emerging contaminants such as PFAS, and to find and replace remove lead water lines or water line components. Delaware water systems are not known to have many lead water lines, but the funding can be used for a federally required inventory of systems for any lead lines and components that must be completed by October 2024, as well as for any needed replacements.

In the 2022 round of annual loans and grants, Delaware communities will have access to:

• $29 million for the general Drinking Water fund projects, such as source water protection, treatment, storage, distribution, cybersecurity and sustainable energy projects, which is almost three times as much as usual
• $16.5 million for the general Clean Water fund projects, such as wastewater treatment plant upgrades, septic elimination projects, and sewer interceptor rehabilitations, which is about twice as much as usual
• $28 million specifically for lead service drinking water line identification and, if needed, replacement, which is new dedicated funding
• $8 million for projects to address PFAS or other emerging contaminants in drinking water or wastewater systems, which is also new dedicated funding

Of the traditional project lines and the lead pipe replacement lines, 49 percent of the fund must be provided as forgivable loans or grants to communities that qualify as disadvantaged. The definition of disadvantaged varies by programs but can be updated by the state programs this year to expand the potential access. The emerging contaminant funds also have requirements for spending in disadvantaged communities.

“Clean water is critical to everything we do – from our health to our environment and to our economy – access to safe and clean water is a basic necessity,” said Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, Ph.D., R.N. “Thanks to President Biden and our Congressional Delegation, these critical infrastructure funds along with the Clean Water Trust Fund will help ensure clean water for all Delaware communities, particularly the underserved. Protecting our water quality is the foundation of a stronger and healthier Delaware.”

“Planning for the future is a key strategy in responding to emerging contaminants,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “DPH is thankful and pleased to support Newark and other municipalities and communities in providing clean water to residents. The infrastructure investments being made now, and that will be possible with the funds coming to Delaware, will substantially expand DPH’s reach to ensure all Delawareans have access to safe drinking water.”

“With this historic investment, we will be able to advance our goal of clean water for all Delawareans,” said Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “Even so, addressing the water challenges of our state will not happen overnight. We have a lot of work to do – work we’ll do together – to support water quality improvement projects in communities across Delaware, particularly our overburdened and underserved communities.”

The federal funding will work in conjunction with the state’s Clean Water Trust, created in 2021 to plan and deploy water investments from multiple funding sources. Because of the five-year increase in infrastructure funding from the federal government, the state water loan programs are urging potential applicants to consider the next several years of improvements, and to potentially apply for planning grants this year that could turn into infrastructure projects that need to be funded in future years.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s provisions include the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act that Senator Carper authored in the Environment and Public Works Committee in the U.S. Senate. Specifically, the law will provide states with increased State Revolving Loan funding and program flexibilities that allow them to invest in community water projects to address aging infrastructure and improve water quality.

“Up and down the state and across the country, we’ve seen the dire consequences when our water infrastructure fails. That’s why we made unprecedented investments in our nation’s water infrastructure through the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said Senator Carper. “I am proud that our committee’s work led to this announcement today and that we are now one step closer to ensuring that all Delawareans – and all Americans — have clean and safe drinking water and wastewater.”

“Access to clean drinking water is a fundamental human right,” said Senator Coons. “The bipartisan infrastructure framework that President Biden signed into law is a blue-collar blueprint for our country to deliver historic investments, including upgrades to our water systems so that every Delawarean can enjoy that right. Thanks to Governor Carney and my colleagues in the congressional delegation, and we’re one step closer to all Delawareans having access to the clean drinking water they deserve.”

“Access to clean, safe, and reliable drinking water has been a mounting crisis in our country including in communities right here in Delaware, and ensuring access is critically important for improving not only Delawareans’ quality of life but our overall public health,” said Congresswoman Blunt Rochester. “That’s why I was proud to vote for President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that brings the largest investment in drinking water and wastewater in American history, and I commend Governor Carney for utilizing this funding, compiled with the Clean Water Trust, to ensure Delawareans have access to clean water across the state.”

For more information on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, visit: de.gov/infrastructure

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Newark, Del. — Governor John Carney and U.S. Senator Tom Carper joined state and local officials on Wednesday for a groundbreaking for the next phase of work on the Newark Regional Transportation Center (NRTC) which will construct the new train station building.

“This new station will become an important hub for thousands of people who live and work within the region,” said Governor John Carney. “Having a state-of-the-art transportation facility here will attract economic development while taking cars off of the road and represents another important infrastructure investment we are making in our state.”

“This transportation center will have an impact not just on passenger rail service to Newark, but on the economy of the entire region,” said U.S. Senator Tom Carper. “TIGER grants are competitive and awarded to projects that will advance mobility, community and sustainability. I worked hard to make sure Delaware got a fair shot at this award, and I’m thrilled it won. Now that the station is almost a reality, I look forward to the day it is up and running and attracting residents and businesses to the area.”

“We are excited that the exposed platform which for years has serviced Amtrak and Septa passengers will soon be gone, and in its place will stand a safe, accessible station that will provide upgraded rail service to the University of Delaware and its ever-growing STAR Campus and the region,” said Secretary of Transportation Jennifer Cohan.

The improved station will provide an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant high-level platform, expand parking, and provide significantly improved passenger amenities including a station building with bathrooms.

Phase 2 of the project was awarded to Bancroft Construction for $7,622, 320.18 and has a construction schedule of 453 calendar days. The project is partially funded by a $10 million TIGER IV Grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

Phase 3 of the project will consist of platform and track modifications, and a pedestrian overpass.

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WILMINGTON, Del – Delaware Governor John Carney (D) and Delaware’s congressional delegation, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) and Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), issued the following statement after U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) introduced legislation that would restrict businesses’ venue options when filing for bankruptcy and hurt the U.S. economy.

Currently, many American businesses, including more than two-thirds of those in the Fortune 500, incorporate in Delaware in order to access Delaware’s world-class bench and bar with exceptional expertise in corporate legal issues and bankruptcy. The Cornyn-Warren bill would hurt businesses across the country and deal a significant blow to Delaware’s economy, risking thousands of jobs in the legal and business services sectors, as well as industries serving those traveling to Delaware for business.

“Many American companies, large and small, choose to incorporate in Delaware because of the expertise and experience of our judges, attorneys, and business leaders. Denying American businesses the ability to file for bankruptcy in the courts of their choice would not only hurt Delaware’s economy but also hurt businesses of all sizes and the national economy as a whole. This is a misguided policy, and we strongly oppose it,” Governor Carney and Delaware’s Congressional Delegation said in a joint statement. “Our economy thrives when the bankruptcy system is fair, predictable, and efficient. Experienced bankruptcy judges are critical to ensuring that companies can restructure in a way that saves jobs and preserves value. Scrapping the venue laws that have been in place for decades and replacing them with restrictions flies in the face of well-settled principles of corporate law, threatens jobs, and hurts our economy.”

The Cornyn/Warren bill would limit companies’ choices by eliminating domicile from the venue options permitted when filing a Chapter 11 case. This would upend decades of precedent allowing businesses to file for Chapter 11 in the jurisdiction where they are incorporated. Currently, Delaware attracts complex Chapter 11 cases from businesses located all of the country that are incorporated in Delaware, and thus the bankruptcy judges in Delaware are experienced in handling these difficult restructuring cases. Study after study shows that experienced bankruptcy courts promote predictability and post-restructuring survival.

University of Pennsylvania law professor David Skeel testified in a House of Representatives and stated venue reform would have severe negative repercussions to the established bankruptcy system.

“It [venue reform] would overturn a long history of bankruptcy practice; it would undermine the effectiveness of our corporate bankruptcy system; it would increase the administrative costs of the system; and it would not help the very parties the proposal is ostensibly designed to help.”

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WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney, U.S. Senator Tom Carper, U.S. Senator Chris Coons, and U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester issued the following statements on the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to deny a petition by Delaware and seven other northeastern states to expand the Ozone Transport Region (OTR) to limit air pollution. The petition asked the EPA to add eight additional states to the OTR, along with portions of Virginia. The petition was based on a provision in the Clean Air Act designed to hold states accountable for cross-border air pollution.

“Our air quality is significantly impacted by pollution traveling downwind from other states, and we sought, in this petition, to work with neighbor states to equitably address that pollution and its effects on Delaware,” said Governor Carney. “Delawareans deserve clean air and, simply put, this disappointing decision by the EPA to deny expansion of the Ozone Transport Region will limit our ability to deliver on that promise. The federal government, through the EPA, must act to curb air pollution traveling across state borders, and we will continue to take action that will underscore that point to the Trump Administration.”

“It is a measurable fact that over 90 percent of Delaware’s air pollution comes from upwind states. EPA’s decision to deny expansion of the Ozone Transport Region means it will be even harder for Delaware to hold its neighbors accountable for the air pollution coming across our borders,” said U.S. Senator Tom Carper. “Since taking the reins at EPA, Scott Pruitt has continually said the states know best when it comes to cleaning up their air and water. But this decision flies in the face of that talking point, denying our reasonable request to work with our neighbors to address ozone pollution. When it comes to protecting Delawareans from other states’ pollution, EPA hasn’t done its job and now, it’s not even allowing states to work together to pick up the slack.”

“I am disappointed that EPA chose to deny this petition to expand the OTR,” said U.S. Senator Chris Coons. “Delaware air quality depends heavily on the behavior of our neighbors, and unfortunately we are the recipients of cross-border pollution from states outside the OTR that contribute to high ozone levels in Delaware. I hope that EPA will take actions soon to demonstrate that they are working to address ozone transport.”

“By denying the petition to expand the Ozone Transport Region, the EPA is making it more difficult for Delaware to work with its neighbors on ozone transport and improved air quality,” said U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester. “Given the significant impact of air pollution in Delaware that originates in other states, it’s crucial that EPA work with regional stakeholders in a coordinated and fair manner to deliver tangible action that is sorely needed.”

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