The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced approximately $7 million in funding rebates to replace and retrofit older school buses.
Public and private school bus fleet owners can apply to EPA by Oct. 30 to update older buses powered by diesel engines, which emit large quantities of air pollution. Replacing these buses will decrease emissions, improve air quality and reduce children’s exposure to air toxics, which can aggravate asthma, and cause lung damage and other serious health problems.
Public school bus fleets and those owned privately but contracted with a public school system are eligible to apply. School buses eligible for replacement include engine model years of 2006 or older. Rebates can be used to retrofit school buses with engine model years 1994-2006.
Up to 10 buses can be replaced and 10 buses retrofitted for each successful applicant. Fleets owners with more than 101 buses currently in operation may submit two applications.
This is the third rebate program offered under the Diesel Emission Reduction Act reauthorization to fund cleaner school buses. Nearly 25,000 buses across the country have cleaner emissions because of past funding.
To learn more about the rebate program, applicant eligibility and selection process, and informational webinar dates: http://www2.epa.gov/cleandiesel/clean-diesel-rebates#2015sb. Direct questions to cleandieselrebate@epa.gov.
For information about EPA’s clean diesel initiatives, visit:
http://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel.