"This is yet another step forward for public transportation in the region," said COG and CARTA Executive Director Ron Mitchum. "Our staff worked diligently to secure funding for these clean-fuel vehicles, which will be the first of many on tri-county streets and highways." A cornerstone of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act signed into law by Congress in December 2015, the Low-No Grant program is centered on modernizing transit systems through the purchase of buses, which are powered by hybrid or battery engines, according to Proterra. More than $84 million in funding was awarded to 52 projects in 41 states. About $36 million will be spent on Proterra buses nationally.