SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – The New Mexico Environment Department has applied for millions of dollars in federal grants to address climate change and air quality issues. The funds would be used to boost low-emissions trucking and transportation along Interstate 40.
“New Mexico’s bold vision for clean transportation connects Western states and our local communities along the new ‘Zero40’ corridor,” New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney said in a press release. “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.”
The state is hoping to help establish clean transportation fueling centers along I-40. These centers would have electric charging stations and mobile hydrogen refueling. Three of these sites would be in New Mexico (one near Albuquerque, one near Gallup, and one in Tucumcari).
If the grant is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, New Mexico would get around $250 million for the project. Arizona and Oklahoma are also working to bring modern transportation upgrades to I-40. The big-picture idea is to “decrease cumulative greenhouse gas emissions by over 1.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent through 2050” across five states, according to the environment department.
