The Dearborn School District in Michigan will use a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to purchase an electric school, the agency said in an April 8 news release.
The funds are part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Electric School Bus Rebates program, which directed $7 million for school districts in under-served communities to replace diesel buses with electric models that produce no emissions, EPA said.
“School buses are the first experience many children have with public transportation,” EPA Regional Administrator Debra Shore said in the release. “This initiative invites the next generation to participate in building a better America and creating a more sustainable world.”
"The Dearborn Public Schools have a long history of teaching children about the importance of taking care of our environment," Dr. Glenn Maleyko, Dearborn School District superintendent, said in the release. "The addition of this electric bus to our fleet will help to show students we can move toward new technologies that promote cleaner fuel alternatives. Being in the hometown of Henry Ford, we understand the importance of innovation and new technologies to improve the quality of life."
More money is on the way for electric buses, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said. EPA is expected to announce a Clean School Bus rebate program to provide $5 billion spanning five years to replace existing buses with low- or zero-emission school buses.
“This round of school bus grants from the American Rescue Plan is just the beginning," Regan said in the release. "The unprecedented $5 billion investment that’s on the way for clean and zero-emission school buses from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will transform how millions of children get to school and help build a better America for a new generation."
