Today, the Biden-Harris administration announced the recipients of the U.S. aid. The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 2023 Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, funded by President Biden's Investing in America Agenda.
The discounts will allow select students to purchase 16 clean school buses in Nebraska. The program will also help Nebraska accelerate its transition to zero-emission vehicles and replace existing school buses that have been linked to asthma and other conditions that harm the health of students and surrounding communities.
EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan today will join schoolchildren, district leaders and community members in Jackson, Mississippi, to announce and highlight how the program will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save schools money and better protect children's health. The investment will also boost demand for American-made batteries and vehicles, boost domestic manufacturing and create good-paying jobs.
- Lincoln Public Schools, the second largest school district in Nebraska, has been selected to receive $815,000 in rebate funding to purchase three clean school buses.
- Omaha Public Schools, the largest school district in Nebraska, has been selected to receive $1,450,000 in rebate funding to purchase 10 clean school buses.
- Winnebago Public School District #17, the largest school district in Nebraska, has been selected to receive a $1,035,000 rebate toward the purchase of three clean school buses.
“President Biden believes every child deserves the chance to live a healthy life and breathe clean air, and his Investing in America agenda is designed to achieve just that,” he said.EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “With today's latest round of funding, we're transforming the nation's school bus fleet to better protect our most valuable cargo – our children – while saving school districts money, improving air quality and strengthening American manufacturing.
“I am pleased to announce that three Nebraska school districts, including the state's two largest school districts, will receive $3.3 million in rebates to fund the purchase of 16 clean school buses across the state,” saidEPA Region 7 Administrator Meghan A. McCollister. “With funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Clean School Bus Program helps ensure our children and school staff breathe cleaner air, while students get a cleaner, quieter ride to school.”
I september 2023, EPAannouncedthe availability of at least $500 million for the clean school bus rebates through 2023. The rebate application period ended in February 2024 with excellent responses from school districts across the country looking to purchase electric and clean school buses. Given overwhelming demand, including in low-income communities, tribal states and U.S. territories, the EPA doubled the amount of available funding to nearly $1 billion.
This third round of financing will build on the previous investment of nearly $2 billion viaDiscounts 2022InGrant 2023to further improve air quality in and around schools, reduce the greenhouse gas pollution fueling the climate crisis, and help accelerate America's leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future.
The choices announced today will provide funding for school districts in 47 states and Washington, D.C., along with several federally recognized tribes and U.S. territories. Priority school districts in low-income, rural and tribal communities make up approximately 45% of the selected projects and will receive approximately 67% of the total funding. The program complies with President Biden'sJustice 40Initiative, which aims to deliver 40% of the total benefits of select federal investments to underserved communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.
EPA is also cooperatingJoint Office for Energy and Transportprovide school districts with robust technical assistance to ensure effective implementation.
EPA continues to review selected applications and may grant additional awards based on this notice. EPA is working with these applicants and will notify them of an award if their application meets all program requirements. As additional selections are completed, EPA will be updatedCSB Awards-website.
EPA will also make selections through additional rounds of funding and through other funding programs. For example,EPA is currently accepting applications forClean Heavy Vehicles Subsidy Program 2024until 11:59 PM ET on July 25, 2024– with the EPA offering up to $932 million in available grant funding and anticipating that approximately 70% of the available funding will help pay for new, zero-emission Class 6 or 7 school buses. EPA is encouraging school districts that are not selected in 2023. The CSB Rebate Program – and those who have not signed up – to participate in currently open funding programs and future CSB funding rounds.
Om Clean School Bus Program
The EPA's Clean School Bus Program was created by President Biden's bipartisan infrastructure bill, which provides an unprecedented $5 billion in funding to transform the nation's school bus fleet. The Clean School Bus Program funds electric buses that produce zero tailpipe emissions, as well as propane and compressed natural gas (CNG) buses that produce lower tailpipe emissions compared to existing school buses.
The Clean School Bus Program will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save money for school districts and produce cleaner air. Air pollution from diesel engines has been linked to asthma and other conditions that harm students' health and cause them to miss school, especially in communities of color and tribal communities. Phasing out existing school bus engines will provide cleaner air for students, bus drivers and school staff who work near bus loading areas and the communities the buses travel through every day.
The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from these bus replacements will also help address the transportation sector's outsized role in fueling the climate crisis. The Clean School Bus Program will save school districts money by upgrading school bus fleets, replacing existing buses with brand new zero-emission and clean school buses, while freeing up needed resources for schools.
Displaythe complete list of awards for the Clean School Bus Program.
