KSFR | By S. Baxter Clinton – On Monday April 1st, the New Mexico Environment Department submitted grant applications to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency totaling $577 million as part of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program.

The two grant applications further New Mexico’s efforts to address climate change and air quality while expanding the economy and growing quality jobs.

The grant applications focus on the decarbonization of medium and heavy-duty vehicles, including semi-trucks and buses, traveling on Interstate 40 and financial incentives to defray the costs of those vehicles.

New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney said, “New Mexico’s bold vision for clean transportation connects Western states and our local communities along the new ‘Zero40’ corridor. If funded, New Mexico will build the necessary transportation infrastructure for local tourism and regional commerce while reducing carbon emissions and other air pollutants one mile at a time.”

Under the grant application for the “Zero40” corridor, NMED is leading an effort to establish eight clean transportation fueling centers along Interstate 40 – a major interstate freight route – in Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

Each of the clean transportation centers will include heavy-duty charging stations and mobile hydrogen re-fueling stations for long haul freight. Zero40 includes three location sites in New Mexico; one in Bernalillo and Sandoval Counties, one in the Greater Gallup area, and one in Tucumcari.

New Mexico’s portion of the Zero40 grant application is estimated to be approximately $250 million.

This will fund the clean transportation fueling component of planned manufacturing and logistics centers at the Bernalillo and Sandoval County location as part of the I-40 TradePort Corridor effort.

The Greater Gallup area location is where planning for an inland port and multi-fuel hub is underway.

Zero40 will also fund an anchor clean transportation fueling location in Tucumcari, already home to the North American Wind Research and Training Center at Mesalands Community College.

Zero40 will add on to transportation decarbonization projects already underway from the Port of Los Angeles in California and assist with installing infrastructure to connect to additional points east.

Project-wide, Zero40 is projected to create an estimated 3,800 direct and indirect jobs and reduce costs, focusing on low-income and underserved communities.

It’s also projected to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by over 1.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent through 2050.