EPA Awards Over $900,000 to Clean Up 46 School Buses in New York

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Awards Over $900,000 to Clean Up 46 School Buses in New York

First DERA Funds for Alt-Fuel and Electric Buses Offered

NEW YORK (April 20, 2021) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded approximately $10.5 million to replace 473 older diesel school buses nationwide. The funds are going to 137 school bus fleets in 40 states, each of which will receive rebates through EPA's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funding. The new buses will reduce pollutants that are linked to asthma and lung damage, better protecting health and air quality in communities across the country. In New York, EPA is providing $908,002 to four entities to replace 46 buses across the state.

"The rebates provide children with a safe and healthy way to get to school by upgrading older diesel engines in our nation’s school buses," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Through the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, EPA is equipping local school districts with cleaner-running buses, helping them along the route to healthier kids and communities.”

The 2020 Rebates are the first year in which EPA is offering additional funds for alt-fuel and electric bus replacements. Applicants scrapping and replacing diesel buses with engine model years 2006 and older will receive rebates between $20,000 and $65,000 per bus, depending on the fuel type of the replacement bus.

The funding selectees in New York are:

• All American School Bus Corp in Astoria, Queens – $200,000 to replace 10 buses
• Chappaqua Transportation Inc. – $108,002 to replace six buses
• MAT Bus Corp. (multiple locations) – $200,000 to replace 10 buses
• Suffolk Transportation Systems, Inc. in Bay Shore – $400,000 to replace 20 buses

EPA has implemented standards to make newer diesel engines more than 90 percent cleaner, but many older diesel school buses are still operating. These older diesel engines emit large amounts of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, which are linked to instances of aggravated asthma, and other health effects or illnesses that can lead to missed days of work or school. 

Since 2008, the DERA program has funded more than 1,300 projects across the country, reducing diesel emissions in more than 70,000 engines. A comprehensive list of the 2020 DERA School Bus Rebate recipients can be found at www.epa.gov/dera/awarded-dera-rebates.

For more information about the DERA program, visit www.epa.gov/dera

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://facebook.com/eparegion2.

 

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