Biden Directs $500 Million in Funding for Electric School Buses

The Biden administration has announced that $500 million in funding will now be available for public school districts and bus operators to replace their old diesel school buses with electronic school buses.

Hatched together with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the funding is just the start of the plan to deliver an unprecedented multibillion-dollar investment, which is a part of President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

In total, approximately $2.5 billion will be allocated to purchase new electric buses for the next five years. The other half of the funding will go to purchases of low-emission buses. The aim is to replace 96,000 diesel school buses across the U.S. with green vehicles.

School districts may apply for part of the $500 million funds in the first round of the distribution until Aug. 19, 2022. Ideally, no school district can be served with multiple bus replacement requests. For now, the grant will apply to one school district per state.

EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said that the funding provides schools across the U.S. the opportunity to ditch old and polluted buses for good. This means that some 25 million kids who ride the school buses, especially in low-income communities, will be able to enjoy healthy air during their trips from the school to their homes.

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Diesel Bus Pollution Levels

According to a report published by the Environment & Human Health, Inc. in Connecticut, the pollution level inside diesel school buses is 10 times higher than the pollution outside of the bus. The pollution level is driven even higher if these buses are queuing during school drop-offs and pick-ups in the morning and afternoon. In fact, idling diesel school buses produce the highest levels of black carbon and other pollutants.

"Too many American children are forced to breathe dirty air on their commutes to and from school," said Paul Tonko of the House Energy and Commerce Environment and Climate Subcommittee. "This announcement is a major down payment on ensuring that our children and grandchildren can experience pollution-free rides."

The EPA said priority will be given to schools in rural areas as Biden wants 40 percent of the funding to go to underserved communities. The agency will also establish outreach programs in these communities as many do not have experience applying for grants. Those eligible will be selected via a lottery system.

Montana's Billings School District, an underserved community, has plans to apply for the grant. However, the state's Transportation Director Keith Adams said that they are still working out the routes to participate in the program as the school district does not have any buses or bus contractors. Some New England school districts are also planning to submit an application to get a portion of the grant for their disadvantaged communities.

What's Next After the Application?

After August, the EPA will notify the school districts selected to receive the electronic school bus funding. The amount they will get will also include the installation of the charging stations and the infrastructure needed for this facility.

By the Spring of 2023, these selected schools have to submit the purchase orders and payment request forms to confirm that the new electric school buses have been ordered. They must also complete the Close Out form for the replaced diesel buses, per School Transportation News.

Then, the next round of applications will open for the second batch. The EPA said that they have intended this process to ascertain that school districts will have adequate time to shift and as well as avoid supply chain issues.

Related Article: School Districts Will Shift to Electric School Buses to Combat Climate Change