(SBA) - LENEXA, KAN. (MAY 29, 2024) – Today, the Biden-Harris administration announced the recipients of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2023 Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, funded by President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda.
The rebates will help selectees purchase 18 clean school buses in seven school districts across Iowa. The program will also help Iowa accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles and to replace existing school buses, which have been linked to asthma and other conditions that harm the health of students and surrounding communities.
EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan will join schoolchildren, district leaders, and community members in Jackson, Mississippi, today to make the announcement and highlight how the program will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save schools money, and better protect children’s health. The investment will also drive demand for American-made batteries and vehicles, boost domestic manufacturing, and create good-paying jobs.
“President Biden believes every child deserves the opportunity to lead a healthy life and breathe clean air, and his Investing in America agenda is designed to deliver just that,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “With today’s latest round of funding, we are transforming the nation’s school bus fleet to better protect our most precious cargo—our kids—saving school districts money, improving air quality, and bolstering American manufacturing all at the same time.”
“I am excited to announce that seven school districts in Iowa are set to receive $3.6 million in rebates to fund the purchase of 18 clean school buses across the state,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meghan A. McCollister. “Enabled with funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Clean School Bus program is helping to ensure our children and school staff breathe cleaner air while also providing students with a cleaner and quieter ride to school.”
In September 2023, EPA announced the availability of at least $500 million for its 2023 Clean School Bus rebates. The rebate application period closed in February 2024 with an outstanding response from school districts across the country seeking to purchase electric and clean school buses. Given the overwhelming demand, including in low-income communities, tribal nations, and U.S. territories, EPA doubled the amount of available funding to nearly $1 billion.
This third round of funding will build on the previous nearly $2 billion investment via the 2022 rebates and 2023 grants to further improve air quality in and around schools, reduce greenhouse gas pollution fueling the climate crisis, and help accelerate America’s leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future.
The selections announced today will provide funds to school districts in 47 states and Washington, D.C., along with several federally recognized tribes and U.S. territories. Prioritized school districts in low-income, rural, and tribal communities make up approximately 45% of the selected projects and will receive approximately 67% of the total funding. The program delivers on President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.
EPA is also partnering with the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation to provide school districts with robust technical assistance to ensure effective implementation.
EPA is continuing to review selected applications and may make additional awards from this announcement. EPA is working with those applicants and will notify them of an award if their application meets all program requirements. As additional selections are finalized, EPA will update the CSB Awards webpage.
EPA will also make selections through additional rounds of funding, as well as through other funding programs. For example, EPA is currently accepting applications for the 2024 Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program until 11:59 PM ET on July 25, 2024 – with EPA offering up to $932 million in available grant funding and anticipates approximately 70% of the available funding to help pay for new, zero-emission Class 6 or 7 school buses. EPA encourages school districts not selected for the 2023 CSB Rebate Program – and those that did not apply – to participate in currently open funding programs, and future CSB funding rounds.
About the Clean School Bus Program
EPA’s Clean School Bus Program was created by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides an unprecedented $5 billion of funding to transform the nation’s fleet of school buses. The Clean School Bus Program funds electric buses, which produce zero tailpipe emissions, as well as propane and compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, which produce lower tailpipe emissions compared to existing school buses.
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 existing school bus 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 Clean School Bus Program will save school districts money as they upgrade school bus fleets, replacing existing buses with brand new zero-emission and clean school buses, while freeing up needed resources for schools.
View the full list of Clean School Bus Program awards.
