Bend-La Pine Schools on Tuesday received a $125,000 grant from the EPA to retrofit/replace five older diesel buses.
The funds are included in awards expected to go to 137 school bus fleets in 40 states, each of which will receive rebates through EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funding.
The new or retrofitted buses will reduce diesel pollutants that are linked to asthma and lung damage, better-protecting health and air quality in communities across the country.
“The rebates provide children with a safe and healthy way to get to school by upgrading older diesel engines in our nation’s school buses,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Through the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, EPA is equipping local school districts with cleaner-running buses, helping them along the route to healthier kids and communities.”
Applicants scrapping and replacing diesel buses with engine model years 2006 and older will receive rebates between $20,000 and $65,000 per bus, depending on the fuel type of the replacement bus.
The 2020 DERA Rebates are the first round in which EPA is offering additional funds for alt-fuel and electric bus replacements.
This year, five fleets plan to replace 16 old diesel buses with electric buses.
EPA has implemented standards to make newer diesel engines more than 90 percent cleaner, but many older diesel school buses are still operating.
