Larisa Manescu, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $875 million in awards for the Clean School Bus Program, which will fund the purchase of over 3,400 school buses in over 530 school districts. 92 percent of the buses will be electric, and almost half of the projects (45 percent) are located in low-income, rural, and tribal communities and will receive two-third (67 percent) of the total funding, advancing the Biden-Harris administration’s Justice40 initiative.
The Clean School Bus program was established through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021. The program is funded for five years and will distribute a total of $5 billion to swiftly help school districts across the country replace their fleets of dirty diesel buses and transition to cleaner buses.
Currently, the vast majority of the nation’s school buses emit diesel exhaust, which is a known carcinogen and can lead to or worsen respiratory illnesses like asthma.
In response to today’s EPA announcement, Katherine García, director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign, released the following statement:
“We’re thrilled that 530 school districts will receive awards for clean school buses. The EPA’s Clean School Bus program continues to deliver relief to schoolchildren across the country, as well as their dedicated school bus drivers.
“Breathing in health-harming toxins should not be a reality for our families and communities. The Clean School Bus program is improving the lives of so many students of our youngest generation. The school districts will receive awards for over 3,000 electric school buses – the cleanest and healthiest option. The EPA has earned an A+ for this program, which will achieve massive public health, climate, and clean energy benefits.”
Background:
The Sierra Club is a founding member of the Alliance for Electric School Buses (AESB), a national network of advocates urging the Biden-Harris Administration to prioritize school bus electrification so that every child in the U.S. has a clean commute to school. The AESB is working to ensure that the 25 million children who take a school bus each day get there on an electric school bus, starting with the communities most harmed by air pollution.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.