First Student’s Post

🚌🔋🌱 The shift towards electric school buses in Martinsville, Texas, represents a significant step in combating both climate change and improving public health. #ElectricSchoolBuses #CleanEnergyFuture #ClimateAction #HealthyCommunities #SustainableTransportation https://lnkd.in/gP2aHjNF

First Student, the industry leader in electrification continues its fleet transformation...

Electric school buses were not an easy sell in the tiny unincorporated town of Martinsville. And yet the modest school district there has become the first in Texas to entirely replace its diesel school bus fleet with no-emissions electric buses. Martinsville Independent School District applied for and received a $1.6 million grant last year from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Its Clean School Bus Program — funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 — is investing $5 billion to replace existing school buses with zero-emissions and low-emissions models across the country, especially in school districts that serve rural areas or low-income students. This story was first published by The Texas Tribune: https://bit.ly/3RUYgrM #texas #electrification #decarbonization #transportation #electricvehicles

This might be an unpopular opinion, but hear me out. A billion dollars-- A BILLION-- provided by a grant, courtesy of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to this article by Electrek.co, this will provide 'more than 2,700 clean buses.' If you do the math, that's $303,000 per bus. And 2700 buses amount to .5% of the total yellow school buses bringing kids to schools every day in the USA. I am a proud supporter and proponent for the transition to clean energy and EVs and even moreso when it's infrastructure change, and a commitment to serving public transport and underserved communities. Which leads me to believe there must be a more cost efficient way to get this done. To make a BILLION dollars of grant funding go further, reach more communities and students. (The total grant allocation is actually $5Billion over time). While the estimated cost of $330k/bus is actually fairly accurate as far as I can tell... - what happens to all the current deisel/fuel powered buses? - wouldn't conversion be a more sustainable option? - given the current high cost of the buses, is there a more impactful/efficient use of grant funds like these to create impact in our communities? Just sayin'. https://lnkd.in/e8Ed4GjS #electrification #cleanenergy #education #transportation

Yellow school buses going green with $1 billion investment By Maxine Joselow and Anna Phillips, Washington Post January 9, 2024 For decades, American children have traveled to school in buses that spew pollution - diesel fumes that have been linked to asthma and other ailments. If the Biden administration has its way, those humble yellow school buses will soon play a key role in the green-energy transition sweeping the nation. On Monday, the administration announced nearly $1 billion for school districts to replace diesel buses with cleaner versions, including electric buses. The grants are aimed at protecting kids from harmful air pollution while curbing the greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet. The money comes from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, which authorized a total of $5 billion for cleaner school buses. The Environmental Protection Agency will dole out grants that will allow more than 280 school districts serving more than 7 million students nationwide to purchase more than 2,700 clean buses. Overall, the agency has already allocated nearly $2 billion of the $5 billion. "Zero-emission school buses can and one day will be the American standard, and we're hitting the accelerator on a cleaner and healthier future for all," EPA Administrator Michael Regan said on a Monday call with reporters. Story link: https://lnkd.in/enxq8acK

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded nearly $900 million in rebates to help more than 500 school districts buy about 3,400 clean school buses — 92 percent of them electric." And if you're a #BayArea school district starting from scratch to build EV infrastructure, contact Renewable Properties! We're developing several Bay Area EV charging depots that will be dedicated to school buses and medium-to-heavy-duty truck fleets! #DriveEnergyForward https://lnkd.in/g4m9z_En?

The Biden administration has unveiled a $1 billion funding initiative for over 2,700 electric and low-emission school buses in 37 states. Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland will receive $4.7 million for 50 new buses. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program has now provided nearly $2 billion, supporting around 5,000 electric and low-emission school buses nationwide. However, a recent report from the Office of Inspector General raises concerns about potential delays caused by local utility companies addressing the demand for electric school buses. Notably, approximately 86% of the selected projects in the new funding round target low-income public school districts and tribal communities. #CleanEnergy #SchoolBuses #EnvironmentalProtection #SustainableTransportation

Did you know that New Jersey has an electric school bus program? There is a webinar on February 1st to learn more! Of the 21,700 school buses registered in New Jersey, over 99% run on fossil fuels. While providing vital transportation services, these buses negatively impact the health of students and residents of the communities in which they operate. To address this issue, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP) Electric School Bus Grant program provides up to $15,000,000 per year for three years to replace diesel school buses with battery-electric school buses. #climatechange #climateaction #renewableenergy #nj https://lnkd.in/ek5mWZmb

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced new awardees for grants to transition from dirty diesel to clean, electric school buses! And we're thrilled to see The White House and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prioritizing funding this year for school districts located in low-income, rural, and Tribal areas, that are already overburdened with pollution and environmental impacts. The EPA Clean School Bus Program allocates $5 billion over 5 years to help school districts transition from diesel school buses to cleaner alternatives. With this latest announcement, the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program has awarded nearly $2 billion in total, investing in an estimated 5,000 electric school buses nationwide. There are more opportunities for school districts to receive funding to purchase zero-emission, electric school buses. If your school district would like to replace your diesel school buses with electric models, we encourage you to apply to the EPA’s 2023 Clean School Bus (CSB) Rebates Program. The Application period is open until January 31, 2024! Learn more about the announcement and how you can apply for funding: https://lnkd.in/edh2TxV8

Most school and transit buses on the nation's roadways these days are still powered by diesel engines, but in #Wisconsin and elsewhere, there is hope about the push to switch to electric fleets. The city of #Racine has made headlines in recent years for leveraging federal funds to add more electric buses operated by its transit agency. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, school systems such as the Palmyra-Eagle Area School District have used federal grants to buy a handful of buses fitted with such technology. Susan Mudd, senior policy advocate for the Environmental Law & Policy Center, a Midwest-based advocacy group, said it is encouraging to see the activity, knowing benefits will come with it. "The children or the riders on buses, including the drivers, will experience zero tailpipe emissions," Mudd pointed out. "Which they now do, because fumes, unfortunately, often get circulated into buses." The new models also prevent harmful emissions from floating through neighborhoods, especially when buses are idled. Mudd noted it has a positive effect on human health, as well as mitigating climate change, with transportation making up nearly 30% of U.S. carbon emissions. But even with federal support, she acknowledged there are still upfront cost barriers in securing electric buses. Mudd added that implementing charging stations for larger electric bus fleets can be more intensive than infrastructure for passenger models. "It definitely requires more equipment," Mudd said. "(It) may require transformer upgrades and that is more costly." Organizations like hers are appealing to utilities to help make the infrastructure more accessible to schools and transit agencies. Once they get past the initial expenses, supporters said the efforts help schools and municipalities reduce their fuel costs. In late 2022, Wisconsin received more than $25 million in federal support to replace 65 diesel school buses around the state with electric ones.