Michael S. Regan 16th Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency | Official Website
SEATTLE (May 29, 2024) – The Biden-Harris Administration announced the recipients of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2023 Clean School Bus Program rebate competition. In Washington, 16 school districts will receive over $24 million to replace 111 older school buses with new electric or propane buses. This initiative aims to accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles and replace older diesel-fueled school buses linked to asthma and other health conditions.
“EPA’s Clean School Bus Program is a breath of fresh air for our students, schools, and communities,” said EPA Region 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller. “Diesel pollution is linked to asthma and other conditions that harm students’ health, with impacts felt disproportionately in communities of color and Tribal communities. Clean School Bus grants provide much-needed resources for school districts to upgrade aging fleets, replacing diesel buses with new zero-emission and clean school buses. Pulling older diesel buses off the road will ensure cleaner air for students, bus drivers, and school staff.”
“I am excited to announce that dozens of clean school buses will soon be heading to communities across Washington state thanks to funding from my Clean School Bus Act,” said Senator Patty Murray. “Clean school buses are a huge improvement over diesel buses—they’re better for the environment, better for public health, they save school districts money on fuel, and we’re building them here in America—which is why I worked so hard to get my bill passed as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Soon, kids from Seattle to Spokane will be riding to school in clean buses and breathing in cleaner air as a result. This is a big win for our kids, our environment, and our economy—and I’m proud to have helped make it happen.”
The selected Washington state school districts include:
- Seattle School District No. 1: $7,825,000 for 25 electric school buses.
- Spokane School District: $9,125,000 for 25 electric school buses.
- Lake Washington School District: $690,000 for two electric school buses.
- Liberty School District: $200,000 for one electric school bus.
- Republic School District: $345,000 for one electric school bus.
- College Place School District: $400,000 for two electric school buses.
- North Shore School District: $600,000 for three electric school buses.
- Issaquah School District: $1,035,000 for six electric school buses.
- Woodland School District: $2,8000;00for14electricbuses
-SultanSchoolDistrict:$2000;00foroneelectricbus
-NorthportSchoolDistrict:$3450;00foroneelectricbus
-OakHarborSchoolDistrict:$750;00forthreepropane-schoolbuses
-SnohomishSchoolDistrict:$2750;00forelevenpropane-schoolbuses
-MountVernonSchoolDistrict:$1000;00forfourpropane-schoolbuses
-Sedro-WoolleySchoolDistrict:$500;00fortwopropane-schoolbuses
-PeninsulaSchoolDistrict:$2500;00fortenpropane-schoolbuses
In September 2023,theEPAannouncedtheavailabilityofatleast$500millionforits2023CleanSchoolBusrebates.TheapplicationperiodclosedinFebruary2024withanoutstandingresponsefromschooldistrictsacrossthecountryseekingtopurchaseelectricandcleanschoolbuses.Giventheoverwhelmingdemand,inlow-incomecommunitiesandTribalnations,EPA doubledtheamountofavailablefundingtonearly$1 billion.Thisthirdroundoffundingwillbuildonthepreviousalmost$2 billioninvestmentviathe2022Rebatesand2023Grantstofurtherimproveairqualityinandaroundschools,reducingreenhousegaspollutionfuelingtheclimatecrisis,andhelpaccelerateAmerica’sleadershipindevelopingthecleanvehiclesofthefuture.
Theselectionsannouncedtodaywillprovidefundstoschooldistrictsin47statesalongwithseveralfederallyrecognizedTribes.Prioritizedschooldistrictsinlow-income,rural,andTribalcommunitiesmakeupapproximately45percentoftheselectedprojectsandwillreceiveapproximately67percentofthetotalfunding.
EPAwillmakemorefundsavailableforcleanschoolbusesthisyear.Thereisasmallsubsetoftentativelyselectedapplicantsstillengagedintheapplicationreviewprocess.EPAisworkingwiththemwillnotifytheseapplicantsofanawardiftheirapplicationmeetsallprogramrequirements.Asadditionalselectionsarefinalized,EPAwillupdatetheCSBwebpage.
EPAalsomakesselectionsthroughadditionalroundsoffundingaswellasthroughotherfundingprograms.Forexample,EPAiscurrentlyacceptingapplicationsforthe2024CleanHeavy-DutyVehiclesGrantProgramuntilJuly25–withEPAofferingnearly$1 billioninavailablegrantfundingandanticipatesapproximately70%oftheavailablefundingtobefornewzero-emissionClass6or7schoolbuses.EPAencouragesschooldistrictsnotselectedforthe2023CSBRebateProgram–andthosethatdidnotapply–toparticipateincurrentlyopenfundingprogramsandfutureCSBfundingrounds.ViewthefulllistofCleanSchoolBusProgramawardshere–epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/clean-school-bus-program-awards.
