CONTACT: Sarah McBride
Program Coordinator, Media and Public Engagement
smcbride@momscleanairforce.org
617-918-7241
June 30th 2023—This week, Michigan lawmakers passed the state’s annual budget which includes an unprecedented $125 million to help school districts across the state transition to cleaner school buses.
The funding—part of a budget that passed with bipartisan support from both chambers and expected to be signed by the Governor shortly—will complement the rebate awards received by 25 Michigan school districts for 133 electric school buses through the first round of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program. This state funding will help to support the 58 additional school districts waitlisted for over 220 electric school buses in that round, showing a clear demand for clean, electric school buses. Michigan currently has 22 electric school buses on the road, 17 of which have been operating since 2019.
In response to this important news, Elizabeth Hauptman, Michigan Field Organizer for Moms Clean Air Force issued this statement:
“This week has been a stark wake-up call for Michiganders: we cannot take the quality of the air we breathe for granted. It’s why this week’s good news about our state’s historic commitment to funding cleaner school buses is so timely and resonant. The more we protect our school children from dirty tailpipe emissions, the more we prioritize health and address climate pollution. Budgets reflect values. And this budget, among other things, reflects a deep commitment to our children’s health and safety. This mom approves! And so do our more than 35,000 members across the state who are proud to be part of a sustained effort to ditch diesel and embrace clean school buses. This move is further proof that our state can lead the way in school bus electrification while centering equity and justice. We look forward to working with school districts and all our partners to help roll out these cleaner buses across the state.”