ICYMI: Sen. Murray, VP Harris Celebrate Electric School Buses Coming to WA via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
ICYMI: Senator Murray Announces Initial $500 Million for the Clean School Bus Program Her Bill Established
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced $400 million in available grant funding for the Clean School Bus Program she helped create. The Clean School Bus Program is funded through $5 billion dedicated to zero emission and clean American-made buses that Senator Murray secured in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), specifically, Senator Murray’s Clean School Bus Act.
The program is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is the first round of funding for the program available as grants and follows nearly $1 billion awarded through the rebate competition last year to fund electric and low-emission school buses across school districts. Applications for grant funding open today and will close on August 22, 2023. Senator Murray urges all eligible applicants to apply here.
“Clean school buses mean cleaner air for students, their communities, and our planet—not to mention cost savings for school districts and good-paying American manufacturing jobs—which is why I fought so hard to make sure my Clean School Bus Act was included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, dedicating $5 billion to clean school buses,” said Senator Murray. “Today’s announcement is an exciting step forward in the race to replace diesel-emitting school buses with cleaner alternatives and improve the health of kids and communities across the country. I urge every eligible school district in Washington state and across the country to apply.”
Every day, more than 25 million children and thousands of bus drivers breathe polluted air during their commute to school, which has a negative impact on students’ health and academic performance, particularly for students with asthma and other respiratory conditions—and transportation accounts for the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. With approximately 500,000 school buses on the road traveling over 3 billion miles per year, this investment will assist school districts in transitioning to cleaner buses and lower emissions nationwide, and comes as school districts across Washington state are committing to electrifying their school bus fleets.
Eligible applicants for the Clean School Bus Grant Program announced today include state and local governments, nonprofit school transportation associations, Tribes and Tribal Organizations, and eligible contractors. The program will prioritize high-need school districts, rural school districts, and Tribal school districts. Applicants can apply here.
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