PHOENIX — More than $55 million will be poured into dozens of Arizona school districts that are rolling out electric buses.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced this week a $1 billion national investment in the technology.
More than $40 million from the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program Grants Competition will go to Arizona schools, with an additional $15 million through “third-party funding,” according to the EPA.
Arizona school districts receiving the most buses include Tempe Elementary School District with 14 new electric buses.
Tucson Unified School District will add 10 more electric buses and Chinle Unified School District will get 15 clean buses.
Hazel Chandler, with the advocacy group Mom’s Clean Air Force, said the buses will be game changers for students who struggle taking the bus for health concerns.
“We have a lot of students that, in the Valley, have asthma and a lot that are not officially diagnosed with asthma that are greatly impacted by air quality and especially sensitive to diesel exhaust,” Chandler said. “I’d love to see every school district go to electric buses and I think that’s going to happen. We’re seeing districts across the US that are starting now to implement all-electric buses.”
Also in the Valley, Phoenix Union started adding electric buses a few years ago. The district tells us they will get four more electric buses in the near future.
A full list of grant recipients can be found online here.
