BALTIMORE (November 19, 2007) –  The Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB) is now accepting applications for vehicle emission reduction projects and programs to be funded through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ). Earlier this year, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) authorized the BRTB to award up to $1 million in CMAQ funding to eligible applicants to develop and implement transportation programs and projects that will reduce the vehicle emissions that contribute to air pollution in the Baltimore region. This is the first time that the BRTB will select projects for CMAQ funding.

Local jurisdictions in the Baltimore region and public-private partnerships with local jurisdictions are eligible to apply. CMAQ grants will cover up to 80 percent of the total cost for a local jurisdiction project, and up to 50 percent of the total cost for a public-private partnership project. All matches for grant amounts must be made in cash. All projects selected must be new or currently undergoing development.

Types of eligible projects include such things as retrofits for school buses, transit buses and heavy duty diesel trucks, and clean fuel/hybrid transit buses and other vehicles. A complete program overview and application are available at www.baltometro.org. Applications must be received by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, December 28. After a competitive review process, winning applicants will be notified in the spring of 2008.

The CMAQ program, which is administered by the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration, assists state and local governments in attaining federal air quality standards established by the Clean Air Act and its amendments.

The Baltimore region does not meet federal standards for ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter. Transportation is a major contributor to ozone pollution, which can make breathing difficult for anyone, especially children and the elderly.  Particulate pollution is even more serious, and has been implicated in heart as well as lung problems.