Page 6: of Marine News Magazine (February 2023)

5 7

By the

Numbers

US Ferry Funding at Historic Levels

The Biden Administration in July announced historic lev- ment in urbanized areas. For Fiscal Year 2022, $36.5 mil- els of funding to improve and expand ferry service in com- lion is available and of that, $3.25 million is set aside to munities across the country, as well as accelerate the transition support low or zero-emission ferries.

to zero emission transportation. Thanks to the Bipartisan In- In addition, the DOT’s Federal Highway Administra- frastructure Law, the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) tion (FHWA) in August announced $172.2 million in Fis-

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has made available cal Year 2022 formula funding under the Bipartisan Infra- nearly $300 million through three competitive grant pro- structure Law to improve ferry service and provide more grams that boost access to rural ferry service, bolster existing travel options in 35 states and three territories.

and new urban service and lower emissions across all services The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $912 mil- by speeding adoption of zero emission ferry technologies. lion in formula funding over ? ve years through FHWA’s

The three grant programs, available through a combined Ferry Boat Program, more than doubling the amount pro-

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), include: vided under the 2015 FAST Act and expands eligibility 1. FTA’s Ferry Service for Rural Communities Pro- that can include ferry maintenance facilities and the pur- gram, a new program that provides competitive funding to chase of transit vehicles such as buses and shuttles used states to ensure basic essential ferry service is provided to exclusively to transport passengers as an integral part of rural areas. For Fiscal Year 2022, $209 million is available. an intermodal ferry trip. The funding can also be used for 2. FTA’s Electric or Low-Emitting Ferry Pilot Pro- capital improvements to existing ferry operations, which gram, a new program that provides competitive funding could increase the number of riders, relieve congestion or for electric or low-emitting ferries and associated infra- address environmental or signi? cant operational concerns.

structure that reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using The FHWA’s Ferry Boat Program supports terminal and alternative fuels or on-board energy storage systems. For vessel projects that provide critical access to areas that lack

Fiscal Year 2022, $49 million is available. other means of transportation where high passenger de- 3. FTA’s Passenger Ferry Grant Program, which mand already exists. Funding is distributed to State De- funds capital projects that support existing passenger ferry partments of Transportation based on a formula contained service, establish new ferry service, and repair and modern- in law, and the funding is then allocated to individual ferry ize ferry boats, terminals and related facilities and equip- boat operators based on eligibility.

© Andriy Blokhin / Adobe Stock 6 | MN February 2023