$400 Million Grant Program to Fund Clear College Buses to Shield Kids’s Well being

Biden-Harris Administration Declares $400 Million Grant Program to Fund Clear College Buses that Cut back Emissions and Shield Kids’s Well being

WASHINGTON — [Yesterday], the U.S. Environmental Safety Company (EPA) introduced the supply of at the least $400 million in grants for cleaner faculty buses, decreasing dangerous air pollution and defending kids’s well being. Below President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, funding from EPA’s Clear College Bus Program will enhance air high quality in and round faculties and communities, save faculties cash, create good-paying clear power jobs and cut back greenhouse gasoline air pollution, defending folks and the planet.

The grants are made potential by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation, which supplies an unprecedented $5 billion to remodel the nation’s fleet of college buses. That is the primary spherical of funding out there as grants and follows the almost $1 billion the Biden-Harris Administration awarded by the rebate competitors final yr to fund electrical and low-emission faculty buses throughout faculty districts.

EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan, White Home Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu, Senator Bob Casey (PA) and Congressman Matt Cartwright (PA-08) introduced the funding in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, the place the native faculty district is about to obtain 15 new electrical buses because of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda.

“Immediately we’re taking one other key step towards decreasing local weather air pollution and constructing a more healthy future the place all of our kids have the clear, breathable air that they deserve,” stated EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is already reworking faculty bus fleets throughout the nation, passing on value financial savings to districts whereas enhancing air high quality. With new grant funding out there, we are going to speed up our work to transition to electrical and low-emission faculty buses additional and quicker than ever earlier than.”

“President Biden and Vice President Harris consider our youngsters deserve cleaner faculty buses, which can enhance the well being of communities and cut back emissions,” stated Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor to the President and White Home Infrastructure Coordinator. “Communities may even profit from cleaner air and power financial savings by changing previous, soiled diesel faculty buses with cleaner options.”

“Clear faculty buses imply that college students are respiration cleaner air and districts are saving cash. This commonsense answer is a win-win,” stated U.S. Senator Bob Casey (PA). “With extra grants to return this yr and within the years to observe, extra communities in Pennsylvania and throughout the Nation will get this chance to set college students up for a more healthy and brighter future — all because of the infrastructure legislation.”

“Operating these clear, inexperienced buses will cut back dangerous air pollution, enhance air high quality in and round faculties and communities, lower your expenses and cut back greenhouse gasoline air pollution,” stated U.S. Consultant Matt Cartwright (PA-08). “This unprecedented funding will defend the security and well-being of our most treasured sources: our kids and our planet.”

Concerning the Clear College Bus Grant Competitors

The $400 million grant alternative by EPA’s Clear College Bus Program will fund electrical, propane, and compressed pure gasoline (CNG) buses that may produce both zero or low tailpipe emissions in comparison with their older diesel predecessors.

These emission reductions will lead to cleaner air for college students driving the buses, bus drivers, faculty employees working close to the bus loading areas, and the communities the buses drive by every day. Past the neighborhood, the discount in greenhouse gasoline emissions from these bus alternative initiatives will assist to deal with the outsized function of the transportation sector on local weather change.

EPA is prioritizing purposes that may exchange buses serving high-need native training companies, Tribal faculty districts funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs or these receiving fundamental assist funds for college students residing on Tribal land, and rural areas. As well as, EPA is dedicated to making sure the Clear College Bus Program delivers on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative to make sure that at the least 40% of the advantages of sure federal investments stream to deprived communities. Massive faculty districts with communities of concentrated poverty additionally will probably be prioritized if their proposal focuses on clear faculty buses serving these communities.

Eligible candidates for this funding alternative are (1) state and native governmental entities that present bus service; (2) public constitution faculty districts, (3) Indian Tribes, Tribal Organizations, or Tribally-controlled Colleges, (4) Nonprofit College Transportation Associations, and (5) Eligible Contractors (together with OEMs, Sellers, College Bus Service Suppliers, and Personal Bus Fleets).

Candidates have two choices to use:

1. Candidates searching for to serve a single faculty district can apply by the College District Sub-Program to request a minimal of 15 faculty buses and as much as a most of fifty faculty buses.
2. Candidates searching for to serve at the least 4 faculty districts can apply by the third-party Sub-program to request between 50 faculty buses and as much as a most of 100 faculty buses.

EPA will present a mixed funding quantity to cowl each bus and infrastructure prices for all awardees requesting electrical faculty buses. Prioritized candidates might apply for as much as $395,000 when making use of for bigger faculty buses and related infrastructure, and different candidates might apply for as much as $250,000 for bigger faculty buses and related infrastructure. To encourage federal funding to assist the alternative of as many buses as potential, EPA may even supply factors within the competitors to those that can supply voluntary funding by public-private partnerships, grants from different entities, or faculty bonds.

The Biden-Harris Administration is dedicated to investing federal {dollars} in a accountable approach that drives high-quality job creation and inclusive financial progress. EPA labored carefully with the Division of Labor to make sure this program additionally helps the workforce wanted to assist a clear power economic system. Candidates will probably be requested to explain their plans to conduct workforce planning to make sure present drivers, mechanics, and different important personnel obtain coaching to securely function and preserve the brand new buses, in addition to make clear protections to make sure current employees usually are not changed or displaced.

Electrical car charging infrastructure have to be put in by electricians licensed by the Electrical Car Infrastructure Coaching Program (EVITP) or a comparable program authorised by the Division of Labor. Funding from the Clear College Bus program will also be used to assist workforce coaching and certifications resembling EVITP. EPA can be working with clear faculty bus producers to enhance transparency across the high-quality jobs being created throughout the nation.

This 2023 Grant Program is separate from the sooner 2022 Rebate Program, and candidates should apply to the Grant Program if on this funding alternative. Grant candidates might submit proposals after the Discover of Funding Alternative (NOFO) which is publicly posted at EPA’s Clear College Bus Program webpage. It is a aggressive program the place candidates will probably be scored primarily based on how nicely their proposal meets the standards set forth throughout the NOFO. The Clear College Bus Grant Program will probably be open for 120 days and shut on Tuesday, August 22, 2023. Questions on making use of could also be directed to CleanSchoolBus@epa.gov.

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is rising the American economic system from the underside up and middle-out – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to creating a producing and innovation increase powered by good-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year diploma, to constructing a clean-energy economic system that may fight local weather change and make our communities extra resilient.

To study extra concerning the grant program, applicant eligibility, choice course of, and informational webinar dates, go to EPA’s Clear College Bus Program webpage.

Courtesy of EPA Press Workplace.