CONTACT: Sasha Tenenbaum
Senior Manager, Media and Public Engagement
stenenbaum@momscleanairforce.org
(917) 887-0146
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched its 2022 Clean School Bus Program by opening its online rebate application portal. Using $5 billion in clean school bus funding allocated through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the agency is poised to enable hundreds of school districts to transition from dirty diesel-powered buses to zero-pollution, electric ones. EPA’s new Clean School Bus Program will distribute $1 billion each year over the next five years to help clean up the nation’s iconic yellow school bus fleet. The list of districts eligible for priority funding include dozens from Montana.
In response, Montana field organizer, Michelle Uberuaga, issued the following statement:
“Montana’s moms and dads welcome EPA’s new Clean School Bus program, which will help give Montana’s kids a clean ride to school. Pollution from diesel-powered school buses can trigger asthma attacks and harm developing brains. It also makes climate change worse. Getting our children to and from school shouldn’t come at the expense of their health, which is why we need to transition our school bus fleet to zero-tailpipe-pollution electric buses.
“EPA’s new rebate program, launched today, helps bring clean, electric school buses to rural school districts like those across our state. Electric school buses are already rolling in many rural school districts, and Montana stands to benefit from this program, which prioritizes getting electric school buses into rural areas.
“Dirty diesel tailpipe pollution is a known human carcinogen that triggers asthma attacks and can impair a child’s brain development. Diesel buses have no business being in the places where our children live, learn, and play. Moms Clean Air Force encourages Montana’s rural school districts to take advantage of this historic opportunity to clean up the air for our kids.”
Moms Clean Air Force has advocated for federal funding for zero-pollution, electric school buses since 2019. Over 20 million US children ride nearly 500,000 school buses. Most of them run on diesel, which produces exhaust that is a known carcinogen and can lead to, or worsen, respiratory illnesses like asthma. Low-income students and Black, Indigenous, Latino and students of color are more likely to ride in school buses and be exposed to harmful pollution from heavy duty vehicles like school buses. Advocates throughout the country are calling for a full transition to zero-tailpipe-pollution school buses that won’t pollute the air our children and communities breathe.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
To interview Michelle Uberuaga, please contact Sasha Tenenbaum, (917) 887-0146, stenenbaum@momscleanairforce.org.
RESOURCES
- Overviews:“Electric School Buses,” “Moms Clean Air Force on TODAY Show!,
- Resources Featuring Michelle: “Electric School Buses = Clean Air For All,” and “Electric School Buses: Stories from the Field”
- Environmental Justice and Electric School Buses: “Why Electric School Buses Are An Environmental Justice Issue”