Today (June 10), the White House and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized Ann Arbor Public Schools in Michigan, as recipient of rebates from EPA's Clean School Bus program. The school district will receive up to $800,000 from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help purchase four electric school buses for cleaner air in and around the community.
Heather Boushey of the White House's Council of Economic Advisers, Ali Zaidi the Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor, EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore, and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell joined state and local officials on a tour of an electric school bus and highlighted how these vehicles will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save schools money, and better protect children's health. The investment will also drive demand for American-made batteries and vehicles, boost domestic manufacturing, and create good-paying jobs.
"When we protect children, reduce emissions, and improve air quality, we create stronger communities and foster economic opportunity and growth. Through President Biden's historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law we are modernizing and electrifying student transportation, our nation's largest mass transit system, while creating manufacturing jobs across the nation," said White House Investing in America Chief Economist Heather Boushey.
"Under President Biden's vision and leadership, the iconic yellow school bus is going green," said Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. "Across Michigan and the country, children will jump into a bus that runs clean and no longer pumps toxic chemicals into the air they breathe. This investment from the Biden-Harris Administration, combined with a strong partnership with Congresswoman Dingell and Governor Whitmer, will bolster American manufacturing, create good-paying union jobs, and safeguard the planet for our kids."
"Thanks to the President's Investing in America Agenda and EPA's Clean School Bus program, Ann Arbor Public Schools is providing a healthier environment for its students, bus drivers, and school staff," said EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore. "Being able to expand their electric school bus fleet is a major win for the Ann Arbor community and will mean reduced air pollution in and around schools."
"Diesel exhaust from school buses hurts our environment, and the health of our children, teachers, bus drivers, and surrounding communities. I'm proud to have helped secure this funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to get diesel buses off the roads, reduce our carbon emissions, and ensure the air our children breathe on the way to school is cleaner and free from dangerous pollutants. And I'm proud Michigan is leading the way in demonstrating what is possible when we prioritize and invest in clean energy technology," said Rep. Debbie Dingell.
"Electric school buses are making a big difference for schools across Michigan - improving air quality and putting more resources in our classrooms. This important funding is another investment by the Biden Administration in Michigan's future," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
"Thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law I helped pass, we are providing safer and more efficient transportation for students in Ann Arbor who ride the bus to school," said Sen. Gary Peters. "I'm proud that Ann Arbor Public Schools is taking advantage of this EPA program to replace aging school buses with cleaner electric models that will protect both students and staff and improve air quality."
"These buses are another step toward a clean energy future that protects our children, improves the health of our communities, keeps more dollars in the classroom where they belong, and helps achieve Michigan's MI Healthy Climate Plan goals," said Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Director Phil Roos. "Prior to the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Michigan had just 17 electric school buses, with this new program we'll soon have nearly 300. I applaud the Biden-Harris Administration and our hardworking congressional delegation for investing in the Clean School Bus Program. Let's keep working together to lead on clean energy and protect the state's most precious resources, our children, from harmful air pollution."
"We are grateful to the EPA for providing us with important incentive funding that helps us achieve our environmental sustainability goals at Ann Arbor Public Schools. These Clean Bus rebates specifically support our efforts to add more electric school buses to our fleet, which promotes cleaner and healthier air for our students and campuses. It also contributes to our commitment to, reduce our fossil fuel usage and operating costs, and reduce our carbon emissions. Our experience with electric buses has proven their safety and reliability in transporting students, and we welcome this new addition to our fleet,'' said Ann Arbor Public Schools Interim Superintendent Jazz Parks.
"Michigan is fortunate to have early adopters, such as Ann Arbor Public Schools, coming back for more and showing that electric school buses work well in Michigan," said It's Electric Coordinator Kindra Weid. "The experiences of the original 7 school districts from the ESB pilot project has given our pupil transportation community a wealth of knowledge, and it's because of their dedication that we are seeing such great success as a state in the EPA's Clean School Bus Program. We also have our leadership, in Governor Whitmer and our legislature, for prioritizing a clean ride for school children in the 2023 school aid budget. States need both federal and state support, like the Clean Bus Energy Grant, to launch this school bus transition. Michigan is leading the charge by pursuing a cleaner ride for their students, drivers and communities."
In May, EPA announced the selection of roughly 530 districts across the country to receive nearly $900 million in rebate funding to support the purchase of over 3,400 clean school buses, 92% of which will be electric. Under the Clean School Bus Program's multiple grant and rebate funding opportunities to date, EPA has awarded almost $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 school bus replacements at over 1,000 schools. The program delivers on President Biden's Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved and overburdened by pollution.
In Michigan, EPA is awarding almost $24 million to 27 school districts to help purchase 100 clean school buses. Michigan's legislature also included $125 million for clean school buses in the state's school aid budget, which will support the transition to cleaner buses across the state improving air quality and the health of Michigan's school children.
EPA's $5 billion Clean School Bus Program, created by President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, includes both a grant program where selected applicants are awarded funds to purchase buses, and a rebate program that allows selectees to receive awards before purchasing eligible buses that replace existing school buses with clean and zero-emission models. Ann Arbor's Clean School Bus rebate is among the third round of rebate selections announced for the newly created program.
The EPA will also make selections through additional rounds of funding, as well as through other funding programs. For example, the EPA is currently accepting applications for the 2024 Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program until 11:59 PM ET on July 25, 2024 - with the EPA offering up to $932 million in available grant funding and anticipates approximately 70% of the available funding to help pay for new, zero-emission Class 6 or 7 school buses. The EPA encourages school districts not selected for the 2023 CSB Rebate Program - and those that did not apply - to participate in currently open funding programs, and future CSB funding rounds.
About the Clean School Bus Program
The Clean School Bus Program funds electric buses, producing zero tailpipe emissions, as well as propane and compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, resulting in lower tailpipe emissions compared to their older diesel predecessors.
The Clean School Bus Program will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save money for school districts, and produce cleaner air. Air pollution from older diesel engines is linked to asthma and other conditions that harm students' health and cause them to miss school, particularly in communities of color and Tribal communities. Efforts to minimize the effects of these older diesel engines will ensure cleaner air for students, bus drivers, and school staff working near the bus loading areas, and the communities through which the buses drive each day.
Contact Information
Danielle Kaufman (kaufman.danielle@epa.gov)
(312-886-6703)
The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from these bus replacements will also help to address the outsized role of the transportation sector in fueling the climate crisis. The Program will benefit school districts as they upgrade to cost saving and fuel-efficient school bus fleets, by replacing existing buses with brand new zero-emission and clean school buses and freeing up needed resources for schools.
For more information, please email CleanSchoolBus@epa.gov.
