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Yesterday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that $100 million is available for transit investments through the Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction grant program, which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Transit agencies can compete for a portion of the funds. Grants will be awarded based on how much the proposed projects are expected to reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gases, or both. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) also will rate projects based on return on investment, readiness to implement, capacity of the application, degree of innovation and national applicability.

Transit agencies can apply for the grants directly, or state departments of transportation can submit a project proposal on behalf of a transit agency.

"This grant program establishes the transit industry as a leader in reducing America's dependence on foreign oil, addressing global climate change and creating green jobs," said LaHood in a prepared statement.

Application instructions, answers to common questions and a calculator to estimate energy consumption or greenhouse gas emission reductions will be available on the FTA's Web site at www.fta.dot.gov.