EPA Region 7 Celebrates New Electric Buses for El Dorado Springs Schools in Missouri
LENEXA, KAN. (JAN. 15, 2025) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 celebrated the delivery of 13 new electric buses to El Dorado Springs R-2. The southwestern Missouri school district received over $5 million in funding to purchase the buses through EPA’s 2022 Clean School Bus Rebate program.
“We are thrilled to kick off the new year by celebrating these zero-emission, clean school buses with the El Dorado Springs community,” said EPA Region 7 Air and Radiation Division Director Dana Skelley. “El Dorado Springs is a leader in the transition to electric buses, and children across the school district will breathe cleaner and less polluted air thanks to these resources.”
The Clean School Bus program is having far-reaching effects across school districts and their surrounding communities. Air pollution from older diesel engines is linked to asthma and other conditions that harm students’ health and can cause them to miss school. Phasing out these older diesel engines, which disproportionately affect communities of color and tribal communities, ensures cleaner air for students, bus drivers, school staff working near bus loading areas, and the communities through which the buses drive each day.
Background
The 2022 Clean School Bus Rebates prioritized low-income, rural, and tribal communities. All Region 7 applicants met the priority definition under the rebate criteria, resulting in access to more funds for buses and electric vehicle infrastructure for schools in areas that need them the most.
The Clean School Bus program will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save money for school districts, and produce cleaner air. The program will benefit school districts as they upgrade to cost-saving, fuel-efficient school bus fleets by replacing existing buses with new zero-emission and clean buses and freeing up needed resources for schools.
View the full list of Clean School Bus program awards.
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