U.S. EPA Paves the Way for Clean Buses at Fairfax County Public Schools

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Clear Faculty Bus grant brings inexperienced future to highschool transportation.

Right this moment, the U.S. Environmental Safety Company (EPA) Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz and U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (VA-11) celebrated one in all EPA’s first Clear Faculty Bus grants below the Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation being awarded to Fairfax County Public Colleges throughout a ceremony at Lorton Station Elementary Faculty in Lorton, Virginia.

With county and native leaders, faculty officers, and representatives from nonprofits additionally in attendance, the occasion commemorated the $16.5 million grant, made attainable via President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, that may deliver 42 electrical buses to the Fairfax County Public Faculty bus fleet for cleaner air and a more healthy high quality of life for youngsters throughout the county.

“This is an exciting day to celebrate Fairfax County Public Schools on its journey to a greener future,” mentioned EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “Thanks to the EPA’s Clean School Bus grant, this community will receive a boost in its efforts to reduce emissions through sustainable transportation, marking a significant investment that will lead to cleaner air, healthier students and a greener tomorrow.”

Throughout the occasion, elected leaders and different stakeholders highlighted the significance of EPA’s Clear Faculty Bus program in transitioning from older diesel engines linked to bronchial asthma and different circumstances.

“Fairfax County is home to one of the largest school districts in the country,” mentioned U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (VA-11). “Every day, thousands of students, staff, and parents are in and around school buses, exposed by no choice of their own to diesel exhaust and other toxins. That changes today. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that I voted for, and President Biden signed into law, Fairfax County will soon be home to 42 brand new electric school buses. That’s good news for our planet and it’s good news for our students. Today is a great day for Fairfax County, and I am so proud to be part of it.”

The EPA announced Fairfax County Public Schools’ selection via EPA’s first Clear Faculty Bus Program grants competitors in January 2024.

This grant will present a few of the first EPA-funded electrical clear faculty buses to Fairfax County Public Colleges, which partnered with Dominion Vitality for infrastructure set up. The 42 new electrical buses will be part of the present Fairfax County Public Colleges bus fleet accountable for transporting more than 141,000 students daily.

“We are honored and excited to be among the recipients of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Awards,” mentioned Dr. Michelle Reid, Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Colleges. “This recognition not only underscores our commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship but also reflects our ongoing efforts to provide healthier, cleaner transportation for all Fairfax County Public Schools students.”

EPA’s Clear Faculty Bus Program offers an unprecedented $5 billion of funding via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation to rework the nation’s fleet of faculty buses. It funds clear faculty buses to cut back greenhouse gasoline emissions, get monetary savings for college districts, and produce cleaner air.

This system delivers on President Biden’s Justice40 Initiativewhich goals to ship 40% of the general advantages of sure federal investments to deprived communities which can be marginalized, underserved and overburdened by air pollution.

Go to the EPA’s web site for extra information on the Clean School Bus program.

Information launch from EPA.