EPA Awards $300,000 for Clean School Bus in Dearborn, Michigan
American Rescue Plan Funds Help Buy Electric School Buses
CHICAGO (April 8, 2022) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the Dearborn School District, in Dearborn, Michigan will use a $300,000 EPA grant to purchase an electric school bus. The grant is funded through the 2021 American Rescue Plan (ARP) Electric School Bus Rebates program. The $7 million in ARP funding is directed toward school districts in underserved communities to replace old diesel buses with new, zero-emission electric models.
“School buses are the first experience many children have with public transportation,” EPA Regional Administrator Debra Shore said. “This initiative invites the next generation to participate in building a better America and creating a more sustainable world.”
The ARP awards are designed to replace older, high-polluting diesel school buses with zero emissions electric school buses. Replacing these buses will dramatically improve air quality in and around schools and communities, reduce greenhouse gas pollution, and better protect children’s health overall.
"The Dearborn Public Schools have a long history of teaching children about the importance of taking care of our environment. The addition of this electric bus to our fleet will help to show students we can move toward new technologies that promote cleaner fuel alternatives,” Dearborn Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko said. “Being in the hometown of Henry Ford we understand the importance of innovation and new technologies to improve the quality of life. We appreciate the EPA for providing the funds that will make this purchase possible."
The ARP Electric School Bus Rebates program is currently funding 23 electric school bus replacements and associated charging infrastructure. It prioritizes projects that help achieve the goals of President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to ensure that federal agencies deliver at least 40 percent of benefits from certain investments to underserved communities.
“The historic investments in clean transportation resulting from President Biden’s leadership will have lasting impacts on protecting clean air for children for generations,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This round of school bus grants from the American Rescue Plan is just the beginning. The unprecedented $5 billion investment that’s on the way for clean and zero-emission school buses from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will transform how millions of children get to school and help build a better America for a new generation.”
In the coming weeks, EPA plans to announce a new Clean School Bus rebate program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides an unprecedented $5 billion over five years, to replace existing school buses with low- or zero-emission school buses.
Since 2012, EPA’s school bus rebates have awarded, or are in the process of awarding, over $73 million to replace more than 3,000 old diesel school buses.