Cuomo: $3 million available for NY municipalities to buy electric vehicles

New York is offering $3 million for eligible municipalities and cooperatives to purchase electric vehicles, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday.

The assistance is available through the New York Power Authority's Municipal Electric-Drive Vehicle Program, which provides zero-interest financing to local governments for the purchase of new, more fuel-efficient vehicles. 

The funding can be used for a variety of vehicles, including cars, off-road specialty vehicles, pickup trucks and utility bucket trucks. 

Electric cooperatives and municipalities that receive hydropower from the New York Power Authority are eligible for the funds, according to Cuomo's office. 

The state previously awarded $5 million to 24 towns and villages for the purchase of 61 new vehicles. 

"This initiative will help communities across New York purchase electric and hybrid vehicles to help reduce their carbon footprint and create a cleaner, greener and more sustainable New York," Cuomo said in a statement. 

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Four villages and two cooperatives in central New York are eligible for the funding. The Municipal Electric Utilities Association, which is based in East Syracuse, and the Oneida-Madison Electric Cooperative may receive assistance through the state's program.

The eligible villages are Hamilton, Marathon, Skaneateles and Solvay. 

The program is part of Cuomo's goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030. 

"Electric and hybrid electric vehicles are key to helping New Yorkers reduce their carbon imprint," said Gil Quiniones, president and CEO of the New York Power Authority." 

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

Source: Cuomo: $3 million available for NY municipalities to buy electric vehicles