Casey: $34.6M for 11 Pennsylvanians School Districts to Buy Clean School Buses

U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) this week announced that 11 school districts in Pennsylvania are receiving a total of $34,610,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The grants will help school districts purchase 89 clean school buses that will accelerate the transition to zero-emissions vehicles and produce cleaner air in and around schools and communities.

“Clean school buses ensure our children are breathing cleaner air, which will set them up with a brighter and healthier future,” said Senator Casey. “Thanks to the infrastructure law, school districts across Pennsylvania will be able to protect students’ health and save money, while helping to reduce greenhouse emissions. This is a commonsense solution that benefits our children, our schools, and the environment.”

The Clean School Bus Program will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save money for school districts and produce cleaner air. Diesel air pollution is linked to asthma and other conditions that harm students’ health and cause them to miss school, particularly in communities of color and tribal communities. Phasing out these diesel engines will ensure cleaner air for students, bus drivers, and school staff working near the bus loading areas, and the communities through which the buses drive each day. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from these bus replacements will also help to address the outsized role of the transportation sector in fueling the climate crisis. The program will also save school districts money as they upgrade school bus fleets, replacing older, heavily polluting buses with brand new clean school buses, while freeing up needed resources for schools.

These awards represent the first nearly $1 billion of a five-year, $5 billion program created by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. EPA is also designing the next rounds of program funding to launch in the coming months, which will include an ambitious grant competition. Through future rounds of funding, EPA will make available another $1 billion for clean school buses in Fiscal Year 2023. EPA encourages school districts not selected in the first round of rebates – and those that did not apply this funding cycle – to participate in future rounds.

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