White House announces 2022 EPA Clean School Bus Program recipients

Around the country, many children take the bus to get to school, and most of these buses are powered by diesel- over 95% of them. This can exacerbate problems like asthma and other respiratory issues in children, and it releases emissions that accelerate climate change. Electric buses, on the other hand, are much safer for children’s health and dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions. While they can provide lifetime savings for school districts, they still tend to cost more upfront.

That’s what makes today’s announcement from the White House so exciting. The Biden-Harris administration released the list of which school districts will receive $913 million in funding to transition away from diesel buses for the fiscal year. 389 applicants in all 50 states, as well as several territories, registered tribes, and Washington, D.C. will receive funding from the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program, primarily to purchase electric buses. The agency expects to distribute the full $965 million allotted for the year in the coming weeks. The program, created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will eventually distribute nearly $5 billion in funding over the next five years.