A $2 million grant has been awarded by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to improve commercial driver license testing in New Jersey.

The funds were allocated to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC) to “launch a mobile CDL testing program, improve outreach to customers and stakeholders in the commercial driving industry, and upgrade existing CDL skills test sites,” as described in a NJMVC news release.

The program will involve two specialized teams that will travel to remote sites in New Jersey and offer CDL skills and knowledge tests. It will be a large-scale initiative that is being coordinated with over 550 statewide districts and driving schools to make CDL testing more accessible to applicants in more rural and underserved parts of the state.

The inspiration for this program came from the popularity of the NJMVC’s Mobile Unit program that followed a similar blueprint of bringing non-driver IDs, driver license renewals, REAL IDs, registration renewals, and other related services to state’s residents, to aid accessibility and convenience.

The NJMVC stated that funding will also be used to aid outreach with stakeholders in the heavy-duty vehicle industry and to promote CDL training in communities. Another target of improvement will be the testing process itself, which will be upgraded to “ensure a safe testing flow, increase testing capacity, and optimize courses for larger commercial vehicles” in accordance with FMCSA and American Association of Motor Vehicle Administration standards.

“By receiving $2 million through the CDLPI grant, drivers across our state will have better access to training materials and testing availabilities, enhancing the safety and preparedness of our workforce on the road,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “This investment reflects our commitment to building a stronger and safer driving community in New Jersey.”

The awarding of funds was recognized at a Delanco, New Jersey road test facility on Nov. 1 during a press conference featuring government and industry representatives.

NJMVC Acting Chief Administrator Latrecia Littles-said at the conference that the program will assist with meeting industry demands as well as provide jobs for individuals in marginalized communities. Assemblywoman Andrea Katz addressed the school bus driver shortage in the state, saying that while it’s improving it’s vital to ensure there are enough people to transport students in rural areas that often require longer routes to and from school.

Dan Jauch, president of the New Jersey School Bus Contractor’s Association and vice president of operations at Krapf Bus, said the program will improve efficiency for contractors and that a bulk testing program “demonstrates a thoughtful response to the unique needs of the school bus contractors across out state.”

Vinn White, who had previously served as a senior advisor to Gov. Murphy on transportation and mobility policy and is now the Deputy Administrator of the FMCSA spoke on the benefits of the Commercial Driver’s License Program Implementation (CDLPI) Grant program, from which the funds for the New Jersey mobile CDL testing program are a part of. Overall, he said grant funds help to support the industry, the national economy and encourage individuals to get their CDL license which can aid multiple fields experiencing shortages.

“We know that it can be difficult to access this testing in rural parts of New Jersey and that’s why bringing this to the community is so important,” said White. “FMCSA is proud to invest in Americans breaking down barriers who are working and trying to earn their CDL.”

Related: FMCSA Proposal Seeks to Quicken CDL Process
Related: Turning School Bus Driver Shortages Into Opportunities
Related: FMCSA Renews School Bus Driver ‘Under-the-Hood’ Training Exemption

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Nasal Narcan, used to reverse an overdose, stock the inside of Milwaukee County's first harm reduction vending machine. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

The Wisconsin Department of Justice has been awarded a $7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to increase access to substance abuse treatment, the agency announced Friday. 

“Making treatment more accessible is important not only for those struggling with substance-use disorder but for public safety as well,” Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement acknowledging the grant. “This grant will allow for more to be done to help fight addiction.”

The Wisconsin DOJ was awarded the grant to implement the Wisconsin Deflection Initiative (WDI). The program aims to connect people struggling with substance use disorders to services before they have a crisis, an overdose or a criminal charge, according to the DOJ. 

Key components of the Wisconsin Deflection Initiative include self-referral and officer intervention programs, active outreach to at-risk individuals, better response to overdose incidents, comprehensive support services and coordination between law enforcement and treatment providers, the Wisconsin DOJ said. 

The program will be implemented across multiple Wisconsin jurisdictions and have a focus on urban, tribal and rural communities.

If programs like the Wisconsin Deflection Initiative lead to fewer people with a substance use disorder entering Wisconsin prisons, it would reduce strain on the state prison system’s programming. As of October, substance use disorder programming for incarcerated people had a waitlist of over 11,500. The Wisconsin Department of Corrections’ website says the agency tries to enroll individuals in programming close to their release date. 

“We would like to be able to serve every single person that we come into contact with at the highest level that they need in terms of intervention and more research,” Alisha Kraus, then-director of program services for adult prisons, said in an article published by PBS Wisconsin in June. “More resources would allow us to do that, more efficiently.” 

In the U.S. in 2022, nearly 108,000 people died from drug-involved overdose, including from illicit or prescription drugs. Drug overdose deaths in the United States have declined since then, but the fight against addiction continues. In Wisconsin, drug overdose deaths declined from 1,828 in 2022 to 1,771 in 2023. 

Funds directed toward fighting addiction in Wisconsin have included opioid settlement money from lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies. The Oneida Nation in northeast Wisconsin is considering an emphasis on prevention in the spending of $6.5 million in settlement money it estimates it will receive, to be allocated between 2020 and 2037, the Examiner reported last month. 

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is offering to fund local education agencies (LEAs) in the state to purchase propane-powered school buses.

The Missouri Propane Education and Research Council said in a press release that DESE is providing $970,000 million in funding to school districts for the purchase of the propane school buses. School districts can apply for up to four propane buses at $24,250 each.

Application consideration will be based on data received. At the time of the release last month, the DESE said it had received over two dozen applications and about dozen more spots were available.

Guidance from DESE stated that school buses must meet certain eligibility requirements, including being a 2024 model or newer equipped with an EPA certified engine, and purchased rather than leased. LEAs will need to provide a title, certificate of origin, or a purchase order to the department, showing the purchase of the buses with grant funds, by June 15.

The applications are due Dec. 15. DESE stated that “after the initial application period, should funds remain available, a second round of funding will be offered using the same criteria that will be applied to the first round.”

Related: Missouri Director of Transportation Furthers Safety and Sustainability
Related: Propane Best Immediate Option For Greening Fleet, Says Rural Missouri School District
Related: School Districts Replace Diesel Buses with Propane, Electric

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A worker saws wood at Canal Crossing, a new luxury apartment community consisting of 393 rental units near the university city of New Haven on Aug. 2, 2017 in Hamden, Connecticut. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump late Friday announced his intent to nominate former NFL player and Texas state lawmaker Scott Turner to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“Scott will work alongside me to Make America Great Again for EVERY American,” Trump said in a statement.

Turner, if confirmed by the Senate, will administer a roughly $68 billion agency that provides rental assistance, builds and preserves affordable housing, addresses homelessness and enforces the Fair Housing Act that prohibits discrimination in housing.

Turner has some experience with housing. During the first Trump administration, he worked with then-HUD Secretary Ben Carson on Opportunity Zones, which were part of the 2017 law that provided tax breaks for investors who put money into designated low-income areas.

“Those efforts, working together with former HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott’s guidance in overseeing 16 Federal Agencies which implemented more than 200 policy actions furthering Economic Development,” Trump said. “Under Scott’s leadership, Opportunity Zones received over $50 Billion Dollars in Private Investment!”

Turner will be tasked with addressing the housing shortage of about 3.8 million homes for sale and rent, according to 2021 estimates from Freddie Mac that are still relied upon. Homelessness has also hit a record high of 653,100 people since January of last year, according to a study by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

While on the campaign trail, Trump proposed opening up federal lands for housing, which would mean selling the land for construction purposes with the commitment for a certain percentage of the units to be kept for affordable housing. The federal government owns about 650 million acres of land, or roughly 30% of all land.

Trump has also opposed building multi-family housing, and has instead favored single-family zoning and while such land-use regulation is controlled on the local level, the federal government could influence it.

During Trump’s first term, he proposed slashing many of HUD’s programs, although those requests were not granted by Congress. However, for his second term he’ll have control of both chambers.

In all of Trump’s budget requests, he laid out proposals that would increase rent by 40% for about 4 million low-income households using rental vouchers or for those who lived in public housing, according to an analysis by the left-leaning think tank the Brookings Institution.

Trump also called for cutting housing programs such as the Community Development Block Grant, which directs funding to local and state governments to rehabilitate and build affordable housing.

The former president’s budget requests also would have slashed the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, which assists low-income families.

School districts will once again have funding opportunities to replace diesel school buses with zero- or low-emission vehicles through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean School Bus Program.

The Clean School Bus Program is a five-year, $5 billion program that was signed into law through the 2001 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law by President Joe Biden. It provides $5 billion over fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to fund the replacement of zero- and low-emission school buses. Under the CSBP grant and rebates, the EPA stated almost $3 billion was awarded to fund approximately 8,700 school buses, approximately 95 percent of which are zero-emission.

The EPA announced on Thursday the opening of the 2024 CSBP rebate application period, which the agency anticipates awarding up to $965 million, with the potential to modify the number based on the application pool and “other factors,” EPA stated.

The application will remain open until Jan. 9, 2025, at 4 p.m. EST.

Additionally, EPA now doubles the maximum allowed number of school buses funded per application from 25 to 50. Eligible applicants can apply to receive funds for electric, propane and/or compressed natural gas buses. Plus, the funds can go toward the purchase and installation of charging infrastructure, workforce training, consulting costs for bus deployments and bus warranty costs.

The EPA added that it will also provide additional funding per bus for ADA-compliant buses and for applicants not located in one of the lower 48 contiguous states to cover shipping.

Available Funding Per School Bus: 

 

Electric School Buses
Priority:
Up to $325K + charging for Type D
$245K + charging for Type A & Type C

Non-priority:
$170K + charging for Type D
$115K + charging for Type A & Type C

 

Propane
Priority:
Up to $35K for Type D

Up to $30K for Type A & Type C

Non-priority:
Up to $25K for Type D

Up to $20K for Type A & C

 

CNG
Priority:
Up to $45K for Type D

Up to $30K for Type A & Type C

Non-priority:
Up to $30K for Type D
Up to $20K for Type A &C

Source: EPA

Related: Inspector General Report Cites Inefficiencies in EPA Clean School Bus Program
Related: EPA Takes Technology-Neutral Approach in Finalizing Phase 3 GHG Rule
Related: EPA Funds 2,675 More Electric School Buses Across 36 States
Related: Low-income Areas Need Electric School Buses the Most, WRI Analysis Indicates
Related: Second Installment of Zero Emission School Bus Funding Available in N.Y

Applicants will also be required to submit one or more of the following supplemental forms: school district approval certification (for third-party applicants such as eligible contractors and nonprofit school transportation associations), school board awareness certification, and/or utility partner template (for those applying for EV buses).

All forms must be signed by an authorized representative prior to submitting the application, the EPA stated.

EPA said it anticipates notifying applicants of their section status in May 2025. Read more about the 2024 rebate program.

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Climate anxiety affects nearly half of young people aged 16-25. Students like second-year Rachel Mohammed find hope and inspiration through her involvement in innovative climate solutions, working alongside peers who share her determination. “I’ve met so many people at MIT who are dedicated to finding climate solutions in ways that I had never imagined, dreamed of, or heard of. That is what keeps me going, and I’m doing my part,” she says.

Hydrogen-fueled engines

Hydrogen offers the potential for zero or near-zero emissions, with the ability to reduce greenhouse gases and pollution by 29 percent. However, the hydrogen industry faces many challenges related to storage solutions and costs.

Mohammed leads the hydrogen team on MIT’s Electric Vehicle Team (EVT), which is dedicated to harnessing hydrogen power to build a cleaner, more sustainable future. EVT is one of several student-led build teams at the Edgerton Center focused on innovative climate solutions. Since its founding in 1992, the Edgerton Center has been a hub for MIT students to bring their ideas to life.

Hydrogen is mostly used in large vehicles like trucks and planes because it requires a lot of storage space. EVT is building their second iteration of a motorcycle based on what Mohammed calls a “goofy hypothesis” that you can use hydrogen to power a small vehicle. The team employs a hydrogen fuel cell system, which generates electricity by combining hydrogen with oxygen. However, the technology faces challenges, particularly in storage, which EVT is tackling with innovative designs for smaller vehicles.

Presenting at the 2024 World Hydrogen Summit reaffirmed Mohammed’s confidence in this project. “I often encounter skepticism, with people saying it’s not practical. Seeing others actively working on similar initiatives made me realize that we can do it too,” Mohammed says.

The team’s first successful track test last October allowed them to evaluate the real-world performance of their hydrogen-powered motorcycle, marking a crucial step in proving the feasibility and efficiency of their design.

MIT’s Sustainable Engine Team (SET), founded by junior Charles Yong, uses the combustion method to generate energy with hydrogen. This is a promising technology route for high-power-density applications, like aviation, but Yong believes it hasn’t received enough attention. Yong explains, “In the hydrogen power industry, startups choose fuel cell routes instead of combustion because gas turbine industry giants are 50 years ahead. However, these giants are moving very slowly toward hydrogen due to its not-yet-fully-developed infrastructure. Working under the Edgerton Center allows us to take risks and explore advanced tech directions to demonstrate that hydrogen combustion can be readily available.”

Both EVT and SET are publishing their research and providing detailed instructions for anyone interested in replicating their results.

In May, students in the first cohort of the Farm Foundation CAFE (Careers in Food and Agriculture Exploration) Student Workshop grew their career readiness skills and explored future options available in food and agriculture. Held May 20 to 21 at North Carolina A&T University Farm Pavilion in Greensboro, North Carolina, the program served 10 undergraduate students from three different 1890 land-grant institutions: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Southern University and A&M College, and Tennessee State University.

Over the course of two days, students explored career opportunities in agriculture, developed new skills for positioning themselves in the job market, expanded their networks, and left with a transformational experience and new tools to carry them into their future careers. The small group setting allowed for in-depth discussions with presenters from across the industry, such as John Deere, FMC, and National Wheat Growers. In addition, the group was able to visit the Syngenta Crop Protection North America Headquarters to learn more about their global operation.

See the 2024 CAFE program project report for further details on the program, including program elements, topics covered, and key results.

The CAFE workshop is a key part of a five-year project funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, specifically the SAPLINGS grant in partnership with North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T).

The Farm Foundation project leads for this program are Martha King, vice president of programs and projects; Jenna Wicks, program manager; and Amanda L. Martin, director of development.  

We are incredibly grateful to everyone at NC A&T, along with the faculty, staff, and guest speakers who shared their expertise with our first CAFE cohort and made this program such a success.

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