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Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced transit systems can compete for up to $101.4 million in grants for projects that promote clean-fuel and energy-efficient technology.

The grants are available through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) fiscal-year 2011 Sustainability Initiative, which includes $51.5 million from the Clean Fuels Grant and $49.9 million from the Transit Investment in Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) III programs, USDOT officials said in a prepared statement.

TIGGER III grants will be awarded based on projects’ “ability to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and provide a return on investment,” they said. Rail projects that received TIGGER II grants in 2010 included a wayside energy storage project for MTA New York City Transit’s subway system; the installation of energy-efficient electric rail switch heaters by New Jersey Transit; a geothermal system for the Twin Cities’ Hiawatha light-rail system; retrofits to Alaska Railroad Corp.’s locomotives with emission-reduction systems; and the installation of anti-idling systems on Metra locomotives.

The 2011 Clean Fuels grant recipients will be chosen based on their ability to help communities achieve or maintain the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone and carbon monoxide, while supporting emerging clean fuel and advanced propulsion technology for transit buses, USDOT officials said.