EPA Awards $80,000 in School Bus Rebates to School Districts in Mississippi
Nationally, EPA Awards $10.5 Million to Clean Up 473 School Buses in 40 States
ATLANTA (April 20, 2021) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a total of $80,000 to replace 4 older diesel school buses in Mississippi. The new buses will reduce pollutants that are linked to asthma and lung damage, better protecting health and air quality in communities across the country.
"The rebates provide children with a safe and healthy way to get to school by upgrading older diesel engines in our nation’s school buses," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Through the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, EPA is equipping local school districts with cleaner-running buses, helping them along the route to healthier kids and communities.”
"By promoting clean diesel technologies, these rebates help to reduce the impacts of diesel emissions as children ride to and from school," said EPA Acting Region 4 Administrator John Blevins. "Diesel Emissions Reduction Act funding helps to improve air quality and human health while advancing innovation and creating jobs."
Mississippi 2020 DERA school bus rebate recipients are:
Benton County School District 1 bus $20,000
Cleveland School District 3 buses $60,000
Nationally, EPA awarded $11.5 million to replace 580 older diesel school buses. $10.5 million to replace 473 older diesel school buses. The funds are going to 137 school bus fleets in 40 states, each of which will receive rebates through EPA's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funding.
The 2020 Rebates are the first year in which EPA is offering additional funds for alt-fuel and electric bus replacements. This year, five fleets plan to replace 16 old diesel buses with electric buses.
Applicants scrapping and replacing diesel buses with engine model years 2006 and older will receive rebates between $20,000 and $65,000 per bus, depending on the fuel type of the replacement bus.
EPA has implemented standards to make newer diesel engines more than 90 percent cleaner, but many older diesel school buses are still operating. These older diesel engines emit large amounts of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, which are linked to instances of aggravated asthma, and other health effects or illnesses that can lead to missed days of work or school.
Since 2008, the DERA program has funded more than 1,300 projects across the country, reducing diesel emissions in more than 70,000 engines. A comprehensive list of the 2020 DERA School Bus Rebate recipients can be found at www.epa.gov/dera/awarded-dera-rebates.
For more information about the DERA program, visit www.epa.gov/dera