Larisa Manescu, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the recipients of the Clean School Bus Program grants. EPA will grant $965 million for 280 school districts to purchase clean school buses. 95 percent of the awards will go to pollution-free, electric school buses.
Today’s announcement continues the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to transition away from diesel school buses. The funding is a part of the $5 billion for clean school buses in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021.
The majority of all school buses nationwide operate on dirty diesel fuel, which contributes to both climate and air pollution for communities across the country. Fumes inside diesel school buses expose both students and bus drivers to dangerous health-harming pollutants.
The EPA grant funding will go to school districts for up to 50 buses and third-party applicants (e.g. bus manufacturers, dealers, school bus service providers, and private bus fleets) for up to 100 school buses. Awards can be used for school buses, charging and fueling infrastructure, and workforce training.
In response to this announcement, Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All Director Katherine García released the following statement:
“Sierra Club applauds EPA for helping so many kids breathe easier as they ride to school. These grants will deliver electric school buses to school districts in every region of the country, while prioritizing low-income, tribal, and rural areas. Replacing polluting diesel school buses with electric buses is a game-changer for our children, our communities, and our planet.
“Parents want their children to be safe and healthy at school – and this includes while they are riding to and from school each day. Parents also want clean air in their neighborhoods and investments to help tackle the climate crisis. Electrifying the nation’s school bus fleet moves us forward towards these important goals.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.