{"id":157518,"date":"2024-01-09T12:04:03","date_gmt":"2024-01-09T17:04:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/districtadministration.com\/?p=157518"},"modified":"2024-01-09T12:04:03","modified_gmt":"2024-01-09T17:04:03","slug":"1-billion-shift-green-electric-clean-school-buses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/districtadministration.com\/1-billion-shift-green-electric-clean-school-buses\/","title":{"rendered":"See which districts will share $1 billion in new clean school bus funding"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thousands of new clean, green and electric buses will soon be carrying kids to school thanks to a $1 billion boost in funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.<\/p>\n

Dozens of school districts<\/a>, bus companies and other entities will use their share of the EPA\u2019s first Clean School Bus Program Grants to purchase 2,700 low- and zero-emission buses. About 280 school districts serving over 7 million students across 37 states will benefit from the initiative, which is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law, the EPA announced this week.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re once again accelerating the transition to electric and low-emission school buses in America, helping to secure a healthier future where all our children can breathe cleaner air,\u201d EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a statement. \u201cI\u2019ve sat next to students on their very first clean school bus ride and their excitement reflects the power of good policy.”<\/p>\n

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Among the biggest award winners are Boston Public Schools, Chicago Public Schools, the Dekalb County School District, Los Angeles USD and Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which each received about $20 million to upgrade their bus fleets.<\/p>\n

Asthma and other conditions exacerbated by diesel bus emissions cause students to miss school, a problem that disproportionately affects communities of color and Tribal communities, the EPA says. The agency initially made $400 million in grants available but doubled the amount because of districts’ heavy demand for electric and low-emission vehicles.<\/p>\n

In 2022, the EPA awarded schools over $875 million in Clean School Bus Program rebates, which allowed 372 school districts to replace 2,366 vehicles. The agency is accepting applications for the 2023 clean bus rebate program<\/a> until Jan. 31.<\/p>\n