This morning, the Environmental Protection Agency awarded $900 million of Clean School Bus Program funding to about 530 districts across the nation, bringing the number of electric school buses that have been funded, ordered, delivered, or are currently in operation to an impressive 12,000.
Tell Congress: Commit to Climate Investments and Clean Air Progress
Members of Moms Clean Air Force have played an instrumental role in helping communities across the country unlock electric school bus funding by working with congressional leaders so they can alert their school districts to funding opportunities, reaching out directly to qualifying school districts, mobilizing our volunteers to contact their school officials, and collaborating with EPA regional clean school bus coalitions to engage with local communities about the program.
In response to this morning’s announcement, Moms’ Senior Legislative and Regulatory Policy Manager Melody Reis issued a statement explaining why Moms are so excited:
“Every day, millions of children in communities all across our country ride to school in iconic yellow buses. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these buses are heating our climate and harming bodies. The exhaust that comes out of diesel buses doesn’t just smell bad–it’s toxic. It contains tiny particles that can lodge deep in children’s lungs and enter their bloodstreams, triggering asthma attacks and harming their developing hearts, lungs, and brains. The good news is that there’s a cleaner alternative. Electric school buses are tailpipe pollution-free, meaning that the millions of kids and parents who rely on school buses day in and day out can count on cleaner, healthier air. Thanks to EPA, these buses are rolling out nationwide and advancing a path to a brighter future.”
For parents of children with asthma, like Moms’ Michigan Field Organizer Elizabeth Hauptman, this clean air win is deeply personal:
“My son Oscar is one of the 143,000 children in Michigan who live with asthma. For kids like mine, breathing in diesel exhaust can cause terrifying asthma attacks that send us rushing home to his nebulizer, and in worst cases, speeding to the emergency room. No child should have to go through this just because they need a ride to school. More electric school buses on the road means easier breathing for children like mine, and for parents like me. Thank you, EPA.”
Learn more about Moms’ work on schools and electric school buses.
Tell Congress: Commit to Climate Investments and Clean Air Progress