The Environmental Protection Agency’s 2022 Clean School Bus Program has awarded the Central Lee Community School District with $790,000 to replace two of its school buses.
The reserved funds include $750,000 for two new electric buses and $40,000 for eligible charging infrastructure. When selecting school districts across the country for this award, EPA prioritized high-needs schools, including those with more than 20 percent of students in poverty, rural school districts, tribal school districts, and districts in underserved and overburdened communities.
“We spent considerable time exploring this possibility last summer and we determined this would be a great opportunity to try electric buses,” said Kim Ensminger, Central Lee Director of Transportation. “Without this additional funding, we would not have been able to explore this innovation.”
EPA’s Clean School Bus program aims to transform school bus fleets in all 50 states, Washington D.C., several U.S. territories, and federally recognized tribes to help make clean, zero-emissions school buses the standard nationwide.
“We are incredibly honored to receive this award and are excited to take steps toward a more environmentally friendly future for the students and community we serve,” said Dr. Andy Crozier, Central Lee Superintendent. “While we are unsure the direction of school transportation in the future, this grant allows the district to explore alternative options at no cost to the district.”
These awards are the first $1 billion of a five-year, $5 billion program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. EPA will soon announce the next round of funding and expects to make another $1 billion available for clean school buses in fiscal year 2023. More information on the grant competition is available at https://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus.