To replace the nation’s fleet of school buses with clean, American-made, zero-emission buses, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently accepting applications from school districts as part of a $500 million funding effort under the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
“This new funding can make a big difference in communities in our region, especially in school districts facing environmental justice challenges,” says EPA’s Adam Ortiz, Mid-Atlantic regional administrator. “We encourage every school district to apply for these funds. These new zero emission busses will help improve air quality, reduce noise pollution, require less maintenance and will impact our communities’ overall health, safety and quality of life.”
This is only the first round of funding from the BIL, where $5 billion is being invested over the next five years.
The Philadelphia School District has already replaced two diesel school buses to cleaner electric school buses through the 2020 Diesel Emission Reduction Act Clean School Bus Rebate funding.
EPA will prioritize applications that will replace buses serving high-need local education agencies, Tribal Schools and rural areas. It supports President Biden’s Justice40 initiative to direct at least 40% of the benefits of certain government investments to underserved communities.
Applications are being accepted until August 19, 2022.
