ICYMI: EPA Announces Over $30 Million in Awards for Clean School Buses in Ohio

Columbus, OH  — This week, the EPA  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 $5 billion authorized for the Clean School Bus Program under the clean energy plan in the Inflation Reduction Act, will assist in the purchase of more than 3,400 new clean school buses nationwide, with over 60% of the funding going to low-income, rural, and Tribal communities. Ninety-two percent of these buses will be electric.

In Ohio, $30,385,000 will be awarded to 20 school districts, to provide a total of 97 new electric school buses. Recipients include Cincinnati Public Schools, Adams County Ohio Valley Local, Princeton City, Green Local, and Euclid City.

“Every child, from Ohio’s cities to our rural communities, should have safe transportation on the way to and from school” said Carol Kauffman, President of the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund. “Electric buses ensure clean air for everyone, so children don’t need to breathe toxic fumes in order to get an education. This funding is possible thanks to Sen. Sherrod Brown’s leadership in passing the federal clean energy plan. I applaud the EPA and Sen. Brown for investing in our children and our future, and I hope more school districts in Ohio continue to do the same by transitioning to electric buses.” 

Every day, 25 million school children 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 the  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.

###