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Blue Skyways Collaborative Grant of $454,849 Presented to Grace Hill Settlement House for School Bus Retrofit Program

Release Date: 04/02/2009
Contact Information: Beckie Himes, (913) 387-7548, himes.beckie@epa.gov



Pictured left to right are: Tiffany Jackson, AmeriCorps Volunteer; Doug Eller,
Grace Hill; Roger CayCe, St. Louis Public Schools; Arthur Tureaud, Student/Emcee;
Deanna Anderson, St. Louis Public Schools; William Rice, EPA Region 7 Acting
Administrator; and Lauren Mitchell, Grace Hill



Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., April 2, 2009) - EPA Region 7 presented a $454,849 grant today to Grace Hill Settlement House to fund the St. Louis School Bus Retrofit Program in greater St. Louis, Mo. The grant was awarded under EPA's Blue Skyways Collaborative.

The grant will result in improvements to about 520 school buses, primarily owned by First Student, serving St. Louis Public School children. The First Student School Bus Company will ultimately use the funds to purchase replacement crankcase ventilation filters. This will reduce fugitive diesel emissions from entering the cab of buses where children sit, and will save more than 26.5 tons of particulate matter and 345.2 tons of hydrocarbons from entering the air annually.

William Rice, Region 7 Acting Administrator, said, "St. Louis Public Schools and First Student are to be commended for partnering together to assure safe, healthy, and more environmentally friendly transportation services for St. Louis children."