EPA rebates will fund cleaner school buses

Jan. 5, 2017

The U S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded more than $7.7 million to replace or retrofit 401 older diesel school buses.

The funds are going to 88 school bus fleets in 27 states, each of which will receive rebates through EPA's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funding. The new and retrofitted buses will reduce pollutants that are linked to health problems such as asthma and lung damage.

“Thanks to DERA funding, we are protecting our children from breathing diesel emissions as they travel to school,” said Christopher Grundler, director of EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality. “Nearly 17,000 of our country's schools are located within steps of a heavily traveled road, potentially exposing more than six million children to traffic-related pollution at a time when their developing lungs are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution.”

Applicants replacing buses with engine model years of 2006 and older will receive rebates between $15,000 and $25,000, depending on the size of the bus. Applicants also had the option of retrofitting school buses with engine model years between 1994 to 2006 with a diesel oxidation catalyst plus closed crankcase ventilation system (DOC plus CCV) to reduce toxic emissions. EPA will fully fund the cost of these devices up to $4,000.

EPA has implemented standards to make newer diesel engines more than 90 percent cleaner, but many older diesel school buses are still operating. These older diesel engines emit large amounts of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, which are linked to instances of aggravated asthma, lung damage and other serious health problems. 

Since 2008, the DERA program has funded more than 700 clean diesel projects across the country, reducing emissions in more than 70,000 engines. 

The 2016 DERA school bus rebate recipients are:

State 

City    

Selectee

Funding  

Buses

AZ

Marana    

Marana Unified School District #6

$465,000 

20

CA

Moorpark    

Moorpark Unified School District

$25,000

1

CA

Soquel    

Santa Cruz City Schools 

$155,000

9

CA

Tulare    

Sundale Union Elementary School

$20,000

1

CO

Glenwood Springs

Yampah Mountain High School

$20,000

1

CT

Ashford    

Town of Ashford

$20,000

1

FL 

Orlando    

School Board of Orange County, FL

$240,000

20

FL

Fort Pierce

The School Board of Saint Lucie County

$200,000

10

IA

Bondurant    

Bondurant-Farrar Community School District

$70,000

3

IA

Lawton    

Lawton-Bronson Community School District

$80,000

4

IA

Sioux City

Sioux City Community School District

$20,000

1

IL

St. Charles

Community Unit School District 303

$20,000

1

IL

Frankfort    

Lincoln Way Area Special Education District 843

$75,000

5

IL

Mt Vernon

Spring Garden School District 178

$20,000

1

IN

Greensburg    

Decatur County Community Schools

$75,000

3

IN

Waterloo    

DeKalb County Central United School District

$100,000

5

IN

Goshen    

Fairfield Community Schools

$40,000

2

IN 

Gary    

Incandescent Transportation Solutions LLC

$25,000

1

IN

Versailles    

South Ripley School Corporation

$55,000

3

KS

Emporia    

Unified School District # 253

$40,000

2

KS 

Sublette    

Unified School District # 374

$20,000

1

KS

Ottawa     

Unified School District # 290

$40,000

2

LA

Alexandria    

Rapides Parish Schools Board

$100,000

5

ME

Kennebunk    

Regional School Unit 21

$160,000

8

ME

Sullivan

Regional School Unit 24

$40,000 

2

MI

Haslett    

Haslett Public Schools

$60,000

3

MI

Hudsonville    

Hudsonville Public Schools

$60,000

3

MI

Whittemore    

Whittemore-Prescott Area Schools

$60,000

3

MO

Jamestown    

Jamestown C-1 School

$55,000

3

MO

Louisiana    

Louisiana RII Schools District

$25,000

1

MO 

Sullivan    

Sullivan School District

$40,000

2

MO

Wheaton    

Wheaton R III School

$40,000

2

NE

Arlington    

Arlington Public Schools

$20,000

1

NE

Wahoo    

Wahoo Public Schools

$20,000

1

NJ

Orange    

Belair Transport Inc.

$145,000

7

NJ

Lakewood    

Klarr Transport Service Inc.

$200,000

10

NJ

North Brunswick

North Brunswick Township Board of Education

$85,000

5

NJ 

Wall    

Student Transportation of America

$200,000

10

NJ

Toms River

Toms River Regional Schools

$180,000

9

NY

Brocton    

Brocton Central School District

$40,000

2

NY

Belmont    

Genesee Valley CSD

$20,000

1

NY

Huntington Station

Huntington Coach Corporation 

$200,000

10

NY

 Huntington Station

Huntington Coach LLC 

$200,000

10

NY

Craryville    

Taconic Hills Central School District

$20,000

1

NY 

Verona    

Vernon Verona Sherrill Central Schools

$60,000

3

NY

Whitesboro    

Whitesboro Central School District

$30,000

2

OH

Sullivan    

Black River Local Schools

$20,000

1

OH

Rawson

Cory-Rawson Local Schools

$70,000

3

OH

Lynchburg    

Lynchburg Clay Local Schools

$60,000

3

OH

Thornville    

Northern Local School District 

$60,000

3

OH

Andover

Pymatuning Valley Local School

$80,000

4

OH

Canton    

Stark County Board of Developmental Disabilities

$60,000

3

OK

Boswell    

Boswell Public Schools

$20,000

1

OR 

Lakeview    

Lake County School District #7

$40,000

2

OR

Pendleton    

Mid Columbia Bus Co. Inc 

$180,000

9

PA

Carlisle    

Deitch Buses Inc.

$80,000

 4

PA

Glenmoore    

George Krapf, Jr. & Sons, Inc.

$60,000

3

PA    

Philadelphia    

School District of Philadelphia

$165,000

10

SC

Columbia    

SCDOE (For Anderson 1 School District)

$100,000

5

SC

Columbia    

SCDOE (For Charleston County School District)

$200,000

10

SC

Columbia    

SCDOE (For Chester County School District) 

$40,000

2

SC

Columbia    

SCDOE (For Colleton County School District)

$140,000

7

SC

Columbia    

SCDOE (For Dorchester 4 County School District) 

$80,000

4

SC

Columbia    

SCDOE (For Greenville County School District)

$200,000

10

SC

Columbia    

SCDOE (For Kershaw County School District)

$100,000

5

SC

Columbia    

SCDOE (For Lexington 4 County School District)

$80,000

4

SC

Columbia    

SCDOE (For Orangeburg 5 County School District)

$80,000

4

SC

Columbia    

SCDOE (For Spartanburg 3 County School District)

$40,000

2

SC

Columbia    

SCDOE (For Spartanburg 6 County School District)

$80,000

4

SD

Hayti    

Hamlin Public School Dist. 

$20,000 

1

TX

Rockport    

Aransas County ISD

$105,000

5

TX

Uvalde

Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District

$20,000

1

UT

St. George

Washington County School District

$250,000

10

UT

West Haven

Weber School District

$100,000

 5

VA

Alexandria    

Alexandria City Public Schools

$64,000

16

VA

Charlotte Court House

Charlotte County Public Schools

$100,000 

5

VA

Norfolk    

Norfolk Public Schools

$200,000

10

VA

Salem    

Roanoke County Public Schools

$215,000

10

WA

Vancouver    

Evergreen Public Schools

$235,000

10

WA

Lind    

Lind-Ritzville Transportation Co-Op

$20,000

1

WA

Longview    

Longview Public School District #122

$95,000

4

WA

Northport    

Northport School District

$20,000

1

WA

Quincy    

Quincy School District No. 144

$50,000

2

WA

Sumner    

Sumner School District

$20,000

1

WI

Spencer    

Burnett Transit

$40,000

2

WI

Dousman    

Dousman Transport Co., Inc. 

$200,000

10

WI

Beloit    

 School District of Beloit Turner

$40,000

2

WI

Shell Lake

School District of Shell Lake 

$20,000

1