New York uses Clean Air Act settlement money to fund electric delivery trucks for nonprofits

A settlement the New York Attorney General’s Office reached with American Electric Power is funding the use of nine all-electric delivery trucks for New York City nonprofit organizations.

The office announced that six nonprofits — Big Reuse, GrowNYC, Habitat for Humanity New York City, New York Botanical Garden, Sustainable South Bronx, and the Wildlife Conservation Society — will all receive funds to lease one or two all-electric Mitsubishi Fuso eCanter delivery trucks.

It’s a continuation and expansion of a similar program announced in 2017, when four nonprofits were given the opportunity to lease the trucks. The project is funded by a $9.5 million settlement the office reached with American Electric Power over the company’s violations of the Clean Air Act.

The funding will support both the trucks and charging infrastructure for two years. Attorney General Letitia James said,

“Every day, my office fights to protect the thousands of New Yorkers who are sickened or die prematurely because of unhealthy air. The dirty diesel trucks that crowd our streets are a major source of our city’s worst local air pollution and greatly contribute to climate change. Zero-emission, all-electric trucks are the future of New York City’s truck fleet and I am proud to lead the way to provide these clean, efficient, and economical alternatives.”

The Attorney General’s release says diesel delivery trucks are responsible for more than 70 percent of emissions of fine soot pollution from New York City traffic. Fine soot pollution contributes to 2,300 premature deaths in New York City every year, with the vast majority of exposure being felt in low-income communities and communities of color.

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The office aims to study the performance of the trucks, and will later prepare a report on the findings. Results could lead to increased adoption of electric trucks in the city.

New York City announced in March that the use of electric cars in its city fleet revealed “dramatic” maintenance savings when compared to ICE cars.

While the city looks to cut emissions on its roads, it’s also taken a bold step in cutting greenhouse gas emissions from its buildings. The city council passed a bill on Thursday that requires certain buildings to cut their emissions 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050.