Senator Murray Announces $500 Million in Available Funding for Clean School Buses Through Program She Established in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

The program, established by Senator Murray’s Clean School Bus Act, offers rebates to school districts to replace existing school buses with new low- and zero-emission models

Senator Murray: “This announcement is another step forward on the path towards replacing diesel-emitting school buses with cleaner alternatives and I urge every eligible school district in Washington state to apply.”

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $500 million in available rebate funding for school districts and other eligible entities to replace their diesel-powered school buses with low- and zero-emission models. Funding for the rebate program comes from Senator Murray’s Clean School Bus Act, which was included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and provided $5 billion in funding for low- and zero-emission school buses. The funding will be administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Clean School Bus Program and comes on top of $400 million in grant funding and nearly $1 billion in rebate funding awarded through the program last year.

“Clean school buses mean cleaner air for students, their communities, and our planet—which is why I fought hard to secure $5 billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for school districts to upgrade their fleets to clean buses,” said Senator Murray. “This announcement is another step forward on the path towards replacing diesel-emitting school buses with cleaner alternatives and I urge every eligible school district in Washington state 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 Clean School Bus Program Rebates 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. Applications for this competitive rebate program open today and will close on January 31, 2023. Senator Murray urges all eligible applicants to apply here.

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