Contact Information: Mikayla Rumph, rumph.mikayla@epa.gov, (617) 918-1016; EPA Region 1 Press Office (R1_Press@epa.gov)
BOSTON (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 over 90 clean school buses in six school districts across Connecticut. The Clean School Bus Program will help Connecticut accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles and replace older, diesel-fueled 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, NAACP President Derrick Johnson, and U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson joined schoolchildren, district leaders, and community members in Jackson, Mississippi, to make the announcement and highlight how the program will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save schools money, and better protect children’s health, especially in communities already overburdened by pollution. The investment will also drive demand for American-made batteries and vehicles, boost domestic manufacturing, and create good-paying jobs for Americans.
“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.”
“Today’s announcement helps ensure that six school districts in Connecticut can breathe easier and benefit from the reduced emissions of over 90 clean school buses,” said EPA Regional Administrator David W. Cash. “Ninety clean school buses means 90 fewer tailpipes blowing diesel exhaust and particulate matter into our air. It’s a win-win-win-win-win-win-win—cleaner air, healthier environment, fighting the climate crisis, parents not worrying that their kids are breathing in fumes as a diesel bus comes by, clean energy jobs, and school districts saving money. Our Clean School Bus program is making a real difference in the lives of children and families across New England.”
“This $21.5 million from the Environmental Protection Agency will allow six school districts across Connecticut to ditch dirty diesel buses and purchase 91 zero emission environmentally friendly school buses. This incredible investment will save school districts money, improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. I am thrilled to see Connecticut schools were awarded these competitive grants and will keep fighting for more federal investments in clean transportation,” said U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal.
“Replacing gas guzzling school buses with cleaner alternatives is key to both tackling the climate crisis and improving the health of our kids and communities,” said U.S. Senator Chris Murphy. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this $21.5 million in rebate funding from the EPA’s Clean School Bus program will help towns across Connecticut replace 91 existing buses with zero-emission and low-emission models so our kids, bus drivers, and communities can enjoy a cleaner, healthier environment for years to come.”
"This new funding awarded to Branford by the EPA's Clean School Bus Program, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is a testament to our shared commitment to safeguarding the health and safety of our students, combatting climate change, and advancing sustainable energy breakthroughs," said U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro. "We must fight climate change and preserve a future for generations to come. Branford, along with the five other Connecticut communities in line to receive this funding, are joining nine school districts the state who have already started to transition their bus fleets through this critical funding provided in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. By reducing air pollution through bus modernization, we tackle the climate crisis, and improve public health.”
“The Connecticut delegation worked together to secure critical funding to help school districts replace diesel-fueled buses with low-emission clean school buses. These funds will help reduce emissions in our state and ensure students in East Hartford and West Hartford breathe clean air, protecting children from asthma and other health conditions on their ride to school,” said U.S. Representative John B. Larson.
“Our students deserve a safe, efficient way to get to school that does not endanger the planet and compromise their future. That’s why I’m thrilled to see the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continue to deliver for Southwest Connecticut by providing nearly $12 million to Bridgeport, Fairfield, and Ridgefield through the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program. This federal funding will replace existing, gas-guzzling school buses with zero-emission vehicles so families can send their children to school with peace of mind,” said U.S. Representative Jim Himes.
The 2023 Clean School Bus rebates will help selectees purchase 91 clean school buses in six school districts across Connecticut:
In September 2023, the 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 overwhelming response from school districts across the country seeking to purchase electric and clean school buses. Given the level of demand, including from low-income communities, Tribal nations and U.S. territories, the EPA doubled the initial amount of available funding in this round to a total of nearly $1 billion.
This third round of funding will build on the previous investments of almost $2 billion via the Clean School Bus Program’s 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 percent of the selected projects and will receive approximately 67 percent of the total funding. The program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved and overburdened by pollution.
The EPA is also partnering with other federal agencies through the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation to provide school districts with robust technical assistance to ensure effective implementation.
The EPA is continuing to review selected applications and may make additional awards from this announcement. The 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, the EPA will update the CSB Awards webpage.
The EPA will also make selections through additional rounds of funding, as well as through other funding programs. For example, the EPA is currently accepting applications for the 2024 Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program until 11:59 PM ET on July 25, 2024—with the EPA offering up to $932 million in available grant funding and anticipates approximately 70 percent of the available funding to help pay for new, zero-emission Class 6 or 7 school buses. The 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
The EPA 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 their older diesel predecessors.
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 these older diesel 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 here: https://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/clean-school-bus-program-awards.
For materials to engage community members about clean school buses, as well as resources for students, visit: https://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/resources-engage-your-community.