CONTACT: Sasha Tenenbaum
Senior Manager, Media and Public Engagement
stenenbaum@momscleanairforce.org
(917) 887-0146
WASHINGTON, DC—Yesterday, EPA announced $400 million in grants through its Clean School Bus Program. Using funds allocated by the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this is the first round of funding available as grants and follows the nearly $1 billion the Biden-Harris Administration awarded through its rebate competition last year to fund electric and low-emission school buses across school districts.
In response, Senior Legislative and Regulatory Policy Manager Melody Reis issued the following statement:
“Every day, millions of children across America ride buses to and from school. Our nation’s school bus fleet is huge–nearly 500,000 buses, and almost all are diesel-powered.
Thanks to important investments like the Clean School Bus Program, made possible with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, more and more of these buses are becoming cleaner as polluting diesel vehicles are replaced by safer zero-emission buses. This helps create the healthier future we want for our children.
Last year’s inaugural Clean School Bus Program saw an overwhelming demand for electric buses, and nearly 2,500 cleaner buses will be on the road as a result. But we have a tremendous amount of work still to do. Too many children in too many communities are spending hours each week exposed to toxic tailpipe pollution. Diesel exhaust harms our planet, it harms our bodies, and it harms our children. And all kids deserve a clean ride to school.
We welcome EPA’s announcement of the next round of Clean School Bus Program funding, and look forward to working with the agency to ensure that cleaner zero-emission buses are rolling into the communities that need them most.”