ICYMI: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Over $31 Million in Awards for Clean School Buses in Texas

Washington, D.C.  — This week, the Biden-Harris administration announced nearly $1 billion in funding to 530 school districts across the country to transition to electric and low-emission school buses. This groundbreaking investment, part of the $5 billion authorized for the Clean School Bus Program under President Biden’s clean energy plan, will assist in the purchase of more than 3,400 new clean school buses nationwide. Over 60% of the funding will go to low-income, rural, and Tribal communities. Ninety-two percent of these buses will be electric.

In Texas, $31,510,000 will be awarded to 20 school districts to provide 120 new electric school buses. Recipients include Salado, Valley View, Cedar Hill, Princeton, Little Cyprus-Mauriceville, Longville, and Wylie Independent School Districts. 

“Every child, regardless of where they live, should be safe on the way to and from school,” said Climate Power Interim States Managing Director André Crombie. “Children shouldn’t need to breathe toxic fumes in order to get an education. We applaud the Environmental Protection Agency and the Biden-Harris administration for continuing to invest in our children and our future by enabling school districts across the country to transition to electric buses.” 

“We need to electrify or risk our kids choking on the fumes of the past. Electric school buses are essential for improving air quality, protecting children’s health, and cheaper over the working life of the bus,” said Jessica Keithan, Co-Founder and Director of the Texas Electric School Bus Project. “We know that diesel exhaust flows inside the cabins of traditional buses  – up to 10 times more concentrated than the air outside, posing serious, long-term health risks.”

Every day, 25 million schoolchildren ride on 480,000 school buses, which represent our nation’s largest mass transit fleet. Electric buses cost around $100,000 less in fuel and maintenance than buses that run on diesel, while producing less than half of the carbon pollution. 

This announcement comes at the close of Asthma Awareness Month. The harmful tailpipe exhaust in diesel-fueled buses can exacerbate asthma for nearly one in 13 school-age children who currently live with asthma. Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism, leading to more than 13.8 million days of missed school for American children every year. Investing in clean school buses is a critical step towards helping these children—and all children around the country—breathe easier.

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