The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week that it gave three Arizona school districts money to purchase electric buses.
The $7.9 million will go towards purchasing 27 zero-emission vehicles, according to a press release.
These Arizona school districts got this money through the EPA’s Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program.
“Pollution from heavy-duty vehicles contributes to dangerous air quality across the country, including here in Arizona,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman.
“By replacing dirty heavy-duty vehicles with clean, zero-emission models, this funding will reduce air pollution, improve health outcomes in nearby communities, and advance the campaign to tackle climate change,” he added.
The Arizona school districts receiving the money are Laveen Elementary School District, Gila Crossing Community School, and Tempe Elementary School District.
Laveen Elementary School District will get $2.8 million for 10 zero-emission electric school buses, along with five electric chargers. The school district has over 7,000 students.
Gila Crossing Community School will receive $560,000 to replace two diesel school buses. Around 550 students go to this community school.
Tempe Elementary School District will collect $4.5 million for 15 electric vehicles and 12 electric chargers. An estimated 10,000 students attend school in this district.
According to the EPA, these electric buses’ benefits are decreasing “nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and greenhouse gases, improving air quality for students, staff, and community members, decreasing climate pollution, and reducing district transportation costs.”
However, many issues have existed with electric school buses. In Maine, the state Department of Education in February told school districts to stop using these buses due to issues with them. Government Technology reported in March that 20 percent of electric school buses were down in New York.
The EPA announced that 70 applicants across 27 states, three Tribal Nations, and one territory received $735 million to purchase 2,400 zero-emission vehicles.
As of September, Arizona had 155 electric school buses. However, it now has 182 electric school buses in the state with these new additions.
The Inflation Reduction Act created the EPA’s Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant program.
In June, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers and others sued the EPA over its regulation requiring electric school buses and trucks.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at [email protected]. Follow Zachery on Twitter @zacheryschmidt2.
Photo “Electric School Bus” by Province of British Columbia. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
