(1) The department of transportation is authorized to issue to a local government a grant for construction of a demonstration truck/train transloading facility. The department shall solicit and accept proposals for no less than 2 months following the issuance of requests for proposals and shall award the grant primarily on the basis of simple payback in energy savings. The department shall also consider impact on freight rates, job creation, geographic proximity to raw materials, and access to new markets for Montana producers and shippers.
(2) The department of environmental quality is authorized to administratively transfer funds to the department of transportation for a demonstration truck/train transloading facility as provided in subsection (1).