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| FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C. Photo: Matthew Bisanz via Wikipedia |
[Avionics Today 10-27-2014] U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx recently awarded $10.2 million in FAA grants to six airports around the country. The grants aim to reduce emissions and improve air quality through the FAA’s Voluntary Airport Low Emission (VALE) program. The six airports include: Albuquerque International Sunport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Yeager Airport.
VALE is designed to reduce all sources of airport ground emissions in areas of marginal air quality. The FAA established the program in 2005 to help airport sponsors meet their air quality responsibilities under the Clean Air Act. Through VALE, airport sponsors can use Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds and passenger facility charges to help acquire low-emission vehicles, refueling and recharging stations, gate electrification and other airport-related air quality improvements.
Through the program, airports are reducing ozone emissions by approximately 563 tons per year. In fiscal year 2014, the FAA issued VALE grants for nine projects at nine airports for $11.3 million. Since 2005, the FAA has funded 69 VALE projects at 38 airports, which represents a total investment of $184 million in clean airport technology. That amount includes $146 million in federal grants and $38 million in local airport matching funds.