Information provided by the Environmental Protection Agency
CHICAGO, Ill. (June 13, 2024) – Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced 28 school districts across Illinois will benefit from the 2023 Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, funded by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The program will help Illinois accelerate the transition to zero emission vehicles and to replace existing school buses, which have been linked to asthma and other conditions that harm the health of students and surrounding communities.
Lansing School District 158 has been selected to receive $2,760,000 in rebate funding to purchase eight clean school buses. View the full list of recipients here.
“I am pleased that the funding I worked to pass in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is helping communities across Illinois upgrade to clean and zero-emission school buses,” said U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly. ”The Clean School Bus Program is equipping our school districts with the vital resources they need to replace aging vehicle inventory, lower emissions, and promote student safety.”
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 outstanding response from school districts across the country seeking to purchase electric and clean school buses. Given the overwhelming demand, including in low-income communities, Tribal nations, and U.S. territories, EPA doubled the amount of available funding to nearly $1 billion.
This third round of funding will build on the previous almost $2 billion investment via the 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.
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.
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 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.
