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News Releases from HeadquartersAir and Radiation (OAR)

EPA Rebates Will Fund Cleaner School Buses in 85 Communities

12/11/2015
Contact Information: 
Christie St. Clair (stclair.christie@epa.gov)
202-564-2880

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the award of more than $7 million in rebates to replace or retrofit 400 older diesel school buses. The rebates are going to 85 school bus fleets in 35 states, each of which will receive rebates through EPA's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funding. The new and retrofitted buses will reduce pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter that are linked to numerous health problems, including asthma and lung damage.

"Schools and other organizations that install clean diesel technology are doing more than just saving money --- they're creating cleaner, healthier air for children and all community residents," said Christopher Grundler, director of EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality. "This program continues to help thousands of children breathe easier and lead safer lives year after year."

This was EPA's third round of the rebate program aimed at replacing older diesel school buses. 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. This year, 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 $3,000.

EPA has implemented standards to make newer diesel engines more than 90 percent cleaner, but many older diesel school buses remain in operation and pre-date these standards. 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. 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.

Since 2008, the DERA program has funded more than 650 clean diesel projects across the country, reducing emissions in more than 60,000 engines. The 2015 DERA school bus rebate recipients are:

State City Selectee Funding Buses
AR Ozark Ozark Public Schools $40,000 2
AZ Yuma Crane Elementary School District 13 $75,000 3
CA El Cajon Cajon Valley Union School District $200,000 10
CA Visalia Riddington Holdings, Inc. $75,000 3
CT Bethnay B and B Transportation $60,000 3
CT Canton Martel Transportation LLC $40,000 2
CT Killingly Killingly Public Schools $70,000 3
CT Oakdale Montville Public Schools $55,000 3
CT Waterbury All Star Transportation LLC $140,000 7
CT New Britain Dattco Inc $200,000 10
FL Deland Volusia County Schools $225,000 10
GA Thomson McDuffie County Schools $85,000 4
IA Manning IKM-Manning CSD $40,000 2
IA Sioux City Sioux City Community School District $20,000 1
ID Shelley Shelley School District #60 $20,000 1
IL Vienna Vienna High School 13-3 $80,000 4
IL Bushnell Bushnell-Prairie City CUSD #170 $25,000 1
IN Eminence Eminence Community School Corporation $20,000 1
IN Plymouth Plymouth Community School Corporation $60,000 3
KS Kansas City Unified School District No. 202 Wyandotte, KS (Turner) $80,000 4
KS Buffalo USD 387 Altoona-Midway $20,000 1
KS Maize USD 266 Maize $120,000 6
LA New Orleans ARISE Schools $30,000 10
LA Monroe Ouachita Parish School Board $200,000 10
LA Ruston Lincoln Parish School Board $100,000 5
LA Lake Charles Calcasieu Parish School Board $200,000 10
LA Alexandria Rapides Parish School Board $200,000 10
MA Dartmouth Town of Dartmouth / Dartmouth Public Schools $20,000 1
MA Wareham Town of Wareham $230,000 9
MA Swansea Swansea Public Schools $80,000 4
ME Gray MSAD 15 Gray New Gloucester $60,000 1
ME Fairfield MSAD #49 $80,000 4
MI Fairview Fairview Area Schools $20,000 1
MI Hopkins Hopkins Public Schools $100,000 5
MN Mankato Yaeger Bus Service, Inc. $40,000 2
MN Reading Buds Bus Service Inc. $40,000 2
MN Bock Sue's Bus Service, Inc. $40,000 2
MN Willmar Hey Inc dba Willmar Bus Service $80,000 4
MO Bethany South Harrison R-II School District $40,000 2
MO Holcomb Holcomb R-III School District $20,000 1
MO Winston Winston R-VI School District $20,000 1
MO Creighton Sherwood Cass R-8 School District $20,000 1
MO Blue Springs Blue Springs RIV School District $140,000 8
MS Kiln Hancock County School District $200,000 10
MT Box Elder Chippewa Cree Tribe with Rock Boy Schools as Delegate Agency $20,000 1
NC Winston-Salem Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Schools $200,000 10
ND Larimore Larimore Public School #44 $20,000 1
ND Beach Beach Public School District #3 $15,000 1
NE Ord Ord Public Schools $30,000 2
NE Auburn Auburn Public Schools $60,000 3
NJ Southampton Garden State Transport, Inc. $165,000 10
NJ Wall Wall Board of Education $100,000 5
NJ Thorofare H.A. DeHart Transportation Co. $100,000 5
NJ Southampton Garden State Transport, Inc. $200,000 10
NJ Secaucus Secaucus Board Education $160,000 9
NJ Vineland Vineland Public Schools $60,000 3
NY Bayville Hendrickson Bus Corporation $175,000 10
NY Copiague Educational Bus Transportation Inc $200,000 10
NY Selden Middle Country Central School District $80,000 4
NY Chappaqua Chappaqua Transportation Inc. $100,000 5
NY Philmont Michael S. Johnson $20,000 1
NY Hicksville Jaco Transportation Inc $180,000 9
NY Huntington Station Huntington Coach Corporation $100,000 7
OH Mantua Crestwood Local Schools $40,000 2
OH Magnolia Sandy Valley Local School District $80,000 4
OK Omulgee Green Country Technology Center $20,000 1
OK Mounds Mounds Public Schools $75,000 4
OK Wyandotte Turkey Ford School $20,000 1
OR The Dalles North Wasco County School Dist. #21 $20,000 1
PA Jermyn Stafursky Transportation, Inc. $40,000 2
PR Corozal Transporte Sonnell Incorporated $200,000 10
SC Columbia Spartanburg 5 County School District (SCDE) $40,000 2
SC Columbia Newberry County School District (SCDE) $100,000 5
SC Columbia Williamsburg County School District (SCDE) $20,000 1
SC Columbia Laurens 55 County School District (SCDE) $100,000 5
SD Castlewood Castlewood School District 28-1 $20,000 1
SD Brookings Brookings School District #5-1 $35,000 2
TX Houston Houston Independent School District $200,000 10
TX Rockwall Rockwall Independent School District FIRST APPLICATION $120,000 6
UT West Jordan Jordan School District $250,000 10
UT Sandy Canyons School District $100,000 5
UT Moab Grand County School District $40,000 2
VT Arlington Arlington School District $20,000 1
WA Moses Lake Moses Lake School District $75,000 3
WI Burlington Thomas Bus Service, Inc. $80,000 4
WI Bloomington Warco, Inc. $20,000 1

For more information about this rebate program, visit http://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel/clean-diesel-rebates.