Earthjustice Applauds EPA’s New Electric School Bus Funding

The funding will facilitate the purchase of over 2,700 clean school buses in 280 districts across 37 states, serving over 7 million students

Contacts

Geoffrey Nolan, gnolan@earthjustice.org

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $965 million in funding for clean school buses to 67 applicants through the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program. According to the EPA, the funding will facilitate the purchase of over 2,700 clean school buses in 280 districts across 37 states, serving over 7 million students. Approximately 85 percent of the funding will go to priority school districts, and 95 percent of the funding will go towards electric school buses instead of propane and compressed natural gas (CNG).

After the announcement, Earthjustice Legislative Representative Athena Motavvef issued the following statement:

“School buses serve millions of children each day, and too many of them are exposed to toxic fumes and contaminants from fossil fuel-powered buses. With diesel exhaust linked to higher levels of asthma and other respiratory illnesses, this transformative funding ensures that students have safer, cleaner transportation to school. We are thrilled that school districts, especially those in many low-income, Tribal, and communities of color that face disproportionately high levels of air pollution, recognize this and are demanding funding for electric buses. We thank the EPA and will continue working with them alongside our partners to help direct these funds to the communities that need them the most.”

A new, yellow school bus in a parking lot.
An electric school bus on display during an event at the Electrical Training Institute in Commerce, California. (Hannah Benet for Earthjustice)

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Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people's health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.