EPA doubles money for electric school buses as demand soars

WASHINGTON (AP) — Responding to “overwhelming demand,” the Environmental Protection Agency is nearly doubling the money available to states to buy electric models of the familiar yellow school buses that millions of children ride every school day.

The EPA made $500 million available for clean buses in May, but is increasing that to $965 million for districts across the country. An additional $1 billion is expected to be available in the budget year that begins Saturday.

In the current year, the agency said it has received about 2,000 applications requesting nearly $4 billion for more than 12,000 buses, mostly electric.

“America’s school districts delivered this message loud and clear: We must replace older, dirty diesel school buses,″ EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement Thursday. “Together, we can reduce climate pollution, improve air quality and reduce the risk of health impacts like asthma for as many as 25 million children who ride the bus every day."

Only about 1% of the nation’s 480,000 school buses were electric as of last year, but the push to abandon diesel buses has gained momentum in recent years.

Money for the new purchases is available under the agency's Clean School Bus Program, which includes $5 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law President Joe Biden signed last year.

School districts from all 50 states have applied for rebates under the program, which aims to replace traditional diesel school buses with low- and zero-emission models in the next five years. EPA said it will move swiftly to review applications submitted and expects to grant awards next month.

EPA Administrator Regan said the accelerated time frame for the grants was a result of especially strong demand.

The Biden administration is "working across all 50 states...