NH VW ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION TRUST GRANITE STATE CLEAN FLEETS RFP

AMENDMENT #1 – JULY 1, 2026

NHDES is amending the Granite State Clean Fleets RFP, released on March 30, 2026, as follows:

1. Cover page (no page number) has been amended as follows:

Granite State Clean Fleets | Request for Proposals Accepted on a Rolling Basis

Funded by the New Hampshire Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust

March 30, 2026

A competitive reimbursement program open for public, private and non-profit entities to propose projects that reduce diesel emissions. Eligible projects include those that scrap and replace existing diesel units with newer, cleaner, diesel-powered, electric or alternative-fueled units.

2. Section 1. Program Overview on pages 4 and 5 has been amended as follows:

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) is administering the Granite State Clean Fleets (GSCF) Request for Proposals (RFP). GSCF is a competitive grant program offering partial reimbursement for projects that reduce transportation-related emissions. Under this program:

• Existing diesel vehicles, engines, equipment and systems (units) are scrapped for replacement. These units are replaced with newer, cleaner diesel-powered, electric or alternative-fueled replacement units. Please see Section 6 Post Award Requirements for more details.

• All applicants must cover the full cost of the project upfront prior to seeking partial reimbursement for eligible project costs.

• Approximately $1.5 million in remaining and added funding is being made available from New Hampshire’s Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust (VW Trust) to support diesel emissions reduction projects that have been selected through the competitive scoring process.

• This RFP is open to public, private and nonprofit entities operating in New Hampshire to submit project proposal applications. There is no limit to the number of applications an entity may submit.

• Applications will be accepted on a rolling monthly basis until all the available funding has been obligated. NHDES plans to score complete and accurate project proposal applications received on or before the last day of each calendar month and notify selected applicants electronically within five business days (e.g., applicants applying on or before April 30 would be notified of selection status by May 7).

• Applications received after midnight on the last day of each month will be scored in the following calendar month.

1.1 Program Criteria:

• Eligible applicants:

o New Hampshire government entities such as municipalities, state agencies, public school districts, public community colleges/universities and transit agencies.

o Nonprofit entities whose projects would provide substantial public, economic and environmental benefits to NH. See Section 5 for more details.

o Private entities in “Good Standing” with the New Hampshire Secretary of State whose projects would provide substantial public, economic and environmental benefits to New Hampshire. See Section 5 for more details.

• Eligible projects:

o Diesel-to-diesel unit replacements (e.g. diesel-powered plow/dump truck).

o Diesel to alternative fuel and electric unit replacements.

Compressed natural gas (e.g. CNG-powered refuse truck).

Electricity from batteries, grid or hydrogen fuel cells (e.g.

electric- powered school bus), including the necessary charging infrastructure.

Hybrid (e.g., conventional or plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) transit bus).

Propane (e.g. propane-powered delivery/utility truck).

o Marine Shore Power Unit Installations.

o See Section 3.4 for more details.

• Maximum reimbursement cap per project:

o Diesel and conventional hybrid projects - $250,000.

o CNG, plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV), propane and marine shore power projects - $350,000.

o Battery-electric, grid or hydrogen fuel cell projects - $750,000.

o See Section 4.2 for more details.

• Anticipated project completion date:

o See Section 2.4 for more details.

3. Section 4.2 on page 8 has been amended as follows:

Under this program, maximum grant funding percentages and reimbursement caps for eligible project costs are determined by the project type.

Project Type Public Entity

Maximum Grant Funding Percentage

Private and Non- Profit Entity

Maximum Grant Funding Percentage

Per Project Reimbursement Cap

Diesel-to-diesel vehicle replacement or engine repower/replacement

80% 25% $250,000

Diesel-to-alternative fuel vehicle replacement or engine repower/replacement

90% 25% $350,000

Diesel-to-battery-electric, grid or hydrogen fuel cell vehicle replacement or engine repower/replacement

95% 75% $750,000

Marine shore power 90% 25% $350,000

4. Section 5. Application Scoring and Selection on pages 9 and 10 has been amended to add a new subheading as follows:

Applications will be reviewed for completeness and eligibility and will be assessed based on scoring criteria approved by a scoring committee. Applicants may be contacted should clarifying information be needed. Incomplete applications may not be scored.

NHDES reserves the right to offer partial funding for any selected application. Upon offer of partial funding, the applicant may request a reduction of the project’s scope. If the applicant requests modification of the project as submitted, the project scoring may be re-evaluated and may result in de-selection of the project. Any award is contingent upon the successful negotiation of final terms.

5.1 Preliminary assessment of non-profit and private entity applications

Nonprofit and private entity applications will be preliminarily assessed on the impact of the stated prospective public, economic and environmental benefits their proposed projects would provide to New Hampshire. In order for the application to proceed to formal evaluation and scoring described in Section 3.1, the application must receive a minimum Impact Score of four as per the criteria in the table below.

Impact Score - Scoring Criteria Maximum Points

Public, Economic and Environmental Benefits – Description is clear and complete. Public and economic benefits are substantial. Environmental benefits exceed 0.5 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions reduced over the project’s lifetime. Impact is verifiable or quantifiable. Benefits and impact are assured.

5.2 Priority New Hampshire communities

The program seeks to prioritize projects benefiting rural or resource-strapped New Hampshire communities. These communities may be economically challenged with fleet and technology procurement, and/or may be disproportionately affected by higher levels of diesel pollution or legacy environmental issues. To this end, NHDES has assembled a list of “Priority New Hampshire communities,” ranked by the percentage of individuals below the poverty line using New Hampshire Employment Security’s New Hampshire Community Profiles data.

Projects benefiting these communities may receive up to five or 10 bonus points, depending on the percentage of individuals below the poverty line ranking. The 50 communities with the highest individual poverty rates may receive up to 10 bonus points, contingent upon project impact; communities ranked 51-100 on this list may receive up to five bonus points, contingent upon project impact. Please see the full list of Priority New Hampshire communities and their respective bonus point eligibility on the GSCF webpage for more information.

SEE NEXT PAGE FOR SCORING CRITERIA.

https://www.nhes.nh.gov/elmi/products/cp/ https://www.des.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt341/files/inline-documents/sonh/gscf-priority-communities.pdf https://www.des.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt341/files/inline-documents/sonh/gscf-priority-communities.pdf https://www.des.nh.gov/business-and-community/loans-and-grants/volkswagen-mitigation-trust/granite-state-clean-fleets

5.3 Scoring criteria

Eligible project proposal applications will be ranked competitively based on the following scoring criteria:

Scoring Criteria Maximum Points

Proposal Clarity, Project Readiness & Funding Viability – Application is complete and directly addresses all questions asked. All aspects of project proposal application are thoroughly developed. Project seems feasible within budget and will be completed within a reasonable timeframe.

Cost Effectiveness of NOx Reductions – Calculated using tools provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). 20 Cost Effectiveness of PM2.5 Reductions – Calculated using tools provided by the EPA or

NREL. 20

Cost Effectiveness of CO2 Reductions – Calculated using tools provided by the EPA or

NREL. 10

Additional Benefits – Project provides benefits in addition to air quality, such as water quality, noise reduction, scalability, plans to showcase the project and/or economic or workforce development.

Total 100

Bonus Criteria Potential

Points Alternative Fuel Bonus:

• 15 points for battery-electric, grid electric or hydrogen fuel cell electric.

• 10 points for propane, CNG or plug-in hybrid.

• 5 points for conventional hybrid.

Priority New Hampshire Communities Bonus – Project impacts an area identified as a Priority New Hampshire Community based on Individuals Below Poverty Line Percentage.

Rankings determined using New Hampshire Employment Security’s New Hampshire Community Profiles data.

• Up to 10 points if community is ranked 1-50 in highest percentage of individuals below poverty line, contingent upon project impact.

• Up to 5 points if community is ranked 51-100 in highest percentage of individuals below poverty line, contingent upon project impact.

Total 125