In all, Bethel Park, Moon Area, Pine-Richland, Plum, South Fayette and Woodland Hills in Allegheny County, and Kiski Area in Westmoreland are among 530 districts across the country receiving nearly $900 million through the federal Clean School Bus Program. The program provides rebates to districts to replace older, diesel-fueled school buses that have been linked to asthma and other health impacts in students and surrounding communities with zero-emission vehicles.
This is the third round of rebates administered through the program by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Funding comes from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, which authorized a total of $5 billion for cleaner school buses. So far, the program has awarded almost $3 billion to fund 8,500 school bus replacements for more than 1,000 schools nationwide. This round is expected to help districts purchase more than 3,400 clean school buses, 92 percent of which will be electric. Other buses purchased through the program could run on propane.
"Every day, 25 million kids across the nation take the bus to and from school," EPA Administrator Michael Regan said during a Tuesday news conference. "It's a quintessential experience for so many Americans, but those yellow school buses we all know and remember run on engines that pump toxic chemicals into the air. These pollutants harm our environment, contribute to climate change and put the health of everyone in their path at risk."
Tuesday's announcement comes two years after the Clean School Bus Program officially launched in 2022 with an inaugural round of rebates. Since then, Pennsylvania districts have benefited from the funding. Earlier this year, the state received more than $47 million for zero-emissions buses in five districts including Pittsburgh Public Schools. Of that, First Student, the school bus company serving Pittsburgh schools, received almost $40 million to purchase 100 clean school buses, an estimated 45 of which were expected to serve the Pittsburgh area.
This round, Bethel Park requested $2 million in rebates; Moon Area, $1.2 million; Pine-Richland, $600,000; Plum, $5 million; South Fayette, $1.4 million; Woodland Hills, almost $7.4 million; and Kiski, $75,000, federal data show.
"This funding will help us to begin to transition some of our fleet to electric school buses, offering both cost savings and environmental benefits," Moon Superintendent Barry Balaski said in a statement. "Switching to electric buses will reduce fuel and maintenance costs, allowing us to invest more in educational programs. Environmentally, this move significantly cuts our carbon footprint, promoting a cleaner, healthier community."
Nationwide, nearly 67 percent of funding this round is going to school districts in low-income, rural and tribal communities.
"We're advancing environmental justice and helping level the playing field for children who suffer from the higher rates of respiratory issues and other health conditions because of the air they breathe," Mr. Regan said.
According to the National Library of Medicine, chronic exposure to diesel exhaust has been linked to higher rates of childhood asthma and cancer.
And diesel emissions are "major producers of air pollution," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. That's significant for Allegheny County, which the American Lung Association consistently ranks among the worst metropolitan areas for air quality. In 2023, children were one of the most at-risk population groups for the effects of air pollution in Pittsburgh.
In addition to improving health impacts, proponents of electric buses say they are cheaper to operate, saving districts money in the long term. Electric buses can also act as giant batteries, storing surplus energy when they aren't in use. That means districts can sell power back to the grid during times of peak demand.
But despite positives reported with the program, the transition to electric buses has been difficult for some districts as they work out ways to charge them. According to The Washington Post, buses use a vast amount of power from the grid, a concern for districts that received federal funding for up to 25 buses but don't have the infrastructure to deliver that much electricity.
And that led to delays at the start of the year as utility companies grappled with a shortage of high-voltage transformers and worked to run additional power lines. One power company in January said it could take nine months to two years to complete construction.
Additional concerns are reported in rural school districts, where buses are expected to cover long distances between schools and students' homes. In rural parts of Northern California, some districts have continued to use diesel buses while new electric ones sit idle, the Los Angeles Times reported in December.
Given those struggles, officials during the third round of funding are stressing the importance of ongoing communication between utility companies and school districts "to make sure that that infrastructure investment and time planning is done early because that is a significant aspect to getting the buses operational," Karl Simon, an EPA director, said Tuesday.
He noted the EPA has provided templates for school districts to sign off on with their utilities to show they had that conversation. The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation is also providing technical assistance to districts.
Federal officials are celebrating the program and the impacts it is expected to have on local communities and the environment. Districts awarded rebates during this round will soon be able to provide the EPA with purchase order. The district will then be refunded for their purchase.
"When we prioritize the health and well-being of our children, we're not just making a difference in [students'] lives but we're also setting the foundation for a safer, healthier and more sustainable planet," Mr. Regan said. "I couldn't be more optimistic about the future of our country."
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