The Biden administration said Wednesday it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of which are electric. Pictured is a yellow electric school bus connected to a charging station. (TW Farlow | Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-powered school buses, the Biden administration said Wednesday it will provide about 530 school districts in nearly all states with nearly $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses.
The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will provide money to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them purchase more than 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this funding round.
In New Hampshire, nine counties will receive funding for the buses, according to the White House. They are (with number of buses in brackets): Concord (3), Derry (25), Hanover (3), Hudson (16), Lisbon (1), Litchfield (8), Moultonborough (7), Nashua (22) , and Pembroke (25).
According to the administration, almost all clean school buses purchased will be electric, namely 92 percent.
“This announcement isn’t just about clean school buses, it’s about the bigger picture,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said on a call with reporters Tuesday, ahead of the announcement. “We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and extending our nation’s leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future.”
According to the government, low-income, rural and tribal communities – which account for about 45 percent of the selected projects – will receive about 67 percent of the total funding.
Regan noted how “low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impact of air pollution, leading to serious health consequences that continue to impact these populations.”
In terms of business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investments in local businesses as a result of the increasing demand for these clean school buses.
“As more and more schools make the transition to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to keep buses running and revive the local economy,” he added.
The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for more than 1,000 communities across the United States, the administration said.
The program began through the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by Congress and signed by the President Joe Bidenwhich includes $5 billion over five years to transform the nation’s existing school buses to “zero-emission and low-emission models,” the EPA said.
In addition to the many negative health and environmental impacts, especially for communities of color, exposure to diesel exhaust can lead to serious health problems such as asthma and respiratory diseases, according to the EPA.
Exposure to diesel exhaust can also “aggravate existing heart and lung diseases, especially in children and the elderly,” the agency said.
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