On Monday, Alabama A&M University in Huntsville announced it had received more than $8 million in a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

On Tuesday, Alabama A&M received a shoutout from Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

“We’re helping Alabama A&M University reach their goal of zero transit emissions by 2024,” Buttigieg said in a message posted Tuesday on Twitter. “Our $8M grant will increase bus capacity and expand solar powered charging stations on campus – meaning a cleaner, more reliable ride for students and staff.”

Alabama A&M began using electric buses on campus in 2019 and has used electric buses on its annual student recruiting bus tour around the state.

The grant is part of $1.7 billion being dispersed under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Alabama A&M is the only recipient of this wave of funding in Alabama aimed at low- and no-emission and bus and bus facilities programs.

“Every day, over 60,000 buses in communities of all sizes take millions of Americans to work, school, and everywhere else they need to go,” Buttigieg said in the press release. “Today’s announcement means more clean buses, less pollution, more jobs in manufacturing and maintenance, and better commutes for families across the country.”

Both the Trump and Biden administrations have been supportive of Alabama A&M’s efforts at using clean energy. In 2020, the school received $2.2 million in a grant from the Federal Transit Authority to buy additional zero-emission electric buses. And in 2021, the school received $4.2 million from the transit authority to purchase an electric bus, construct a bus service bay and install a battery electric storage system that included charging stations.