Delaware extends commitment to alternative fuel vehicles
In response to Delawareans’ growing demand for cleaner fuel vehicles, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s (DNREC) Division of Climate, Coastal, & Energy announced that the Clean Transportation Incentive Program will continue to offer rebates to drivers and businesses statewide toward the purchase or lease of alternative fuel vehicles and refueling stations through December 31, 2020.
“Reducing transportation-related emissions is key to reaching our greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goal,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “The Clean Transportation Incentive Program is helping Delaware drivers change from fossil fuels to cleaner alternatives that reduce air pollution.”
The program offers rebates for the purchase or lease of natural gas vehicles, among other alternative fuels. Rebates include $1,500 for dedicated natural gas vehicles, $1,350 for bi-fuel natural gas vehicles, and $20,000 for heavy duty dedicated natural gas trucks.
The Clean Transportation Incentive Program was designed to help with the initial cost of transitioning to lower-carbon, lower-pollution vehicles, making it easier for Delaware drivers to choose vehicles that produce less or no tailpipe emissions, reducing both unhealthy pollution and the GHG emissions that contribute to climate change. Since 2015, the program has provided rebates totaling $4.6 million to more than 1,500 purchasers of natural gas, LPG and electric vehicles.
Delaware has committed to reducing GHG emissions 28% by 2025 from 2005’s baseline. Transportation is now the largest single source of emissions in the state, responsible for 35% of carbon emissions in 2016, the latest year for which data is available.
