CONTACT: DKC News
MomsCleanAirForce@dkcnews.com
WASHINGTON, DC–Today, EPA announced $900 million in rebate awards through its Clean School Bus Program. This is the third round of funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which allocated $5 billion over five years to help school districts purchase zero- and low-emissions school buses.
Moms Clean Air Force played an instrumental role in ensuring the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021, and has been critical in helping communities across the country unlock electric school bus funding. We have worked with congressional leaders to alert their school districts to these funding opportunities, reached out directly to qualifying school districts in states where we have field organizers on the ground, mobilized our volunteers to contact their school officials, and collaborated with EPA regional clean school bus coalitions to engage with local communities about the program. Moms Clean Air Force organizers have participated in numerous electric school bus events since the launch of the Clean School Bus Program in 2022.
In response to the latest award announcement, Senior Legislative and Regulatory Policy Manager Melody Reis issued the following statement:
“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.”
Michigan Field Organizer Elizabeth Hautpman responded to the news with a statement:
“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 ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES.