Burns: $6.19 million grant will upgrade Pro Disposal Inc. truck fleet
Local company with regional reach employs 115, operates 70 vehicles
Rep. Frank Burns January 10, 2024 | 12:07 PM
HARRISBURG, Jan. 10 – Tapping into a state grant program operated through the Department of Environmental Protection, state Rep. Frank Burns has secured $6.19 million to help a Cambria County company purchase 16 zero-emission trash and recycling trucks.
Burns, D-Cambria, said the grant awarded to Pro Disposal Inc. through the Drive PA Forward program will provide upgraded trucks for use in Johnstown and at the firm’s new Ebensburg facility, where 16 fast-charging plugs will also be installed using the money.
“This substantial grant will help a local, family-owned-and-operated company replace a number of aging diesel vehicles with newer, more efficient models – keeping it competitive in the regional market it serves,” Burns said. “The company, its employees, the community and our economy are all huge winners with this investment.”
Mike Bellvia, owner and CEO of Pro Disposal, said Burns’ determination was instrumental in obtaining the grant, which will fund 75% of the project cost.
"The adoption of EV trucks is a monumental step for our business and the industry as whole. We would like to especially thank State Representative Frank Burns and his staff who were incredibly supportive in guiding us through the grant process and helping us to secure the funding for this project."
Burns said Pro Disposal, which started in 2002 as a one-truck trash collection business in Portage, has grown into an operation whose fleet travels 2.7 million miles per year, providing residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal waste management with a footprint that includes Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clearfield, Somerset and Westmoreland counties.
“In addition to reducing Pro Disposal's operating cost, this funding can help stimulate the type of growth that led it to open a new facility in Ebensburg,” Burns said. “Companies that grow hire more people, and the dollars they earn and spend have a positive ripple effect on our economy and community.”
The Driving PA Forward program was created from Pennsylvania’s portion of the Volkswagen environmental settlement funds and developed to improve air quality statewide by investing in clean transportation technologies.