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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7 – 11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations
EPA Awards Seven School Districts, Bus Company $240,000 for Old Diesel Bus Replacement in Missouri
$10.5 million to clean up 473 school buses in 40 states
(Lenexa, Kan., April 20, 2021) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded $240,000 to replace 12 older diesel school buses in seven Missouri school districts and one bus company. This award is part of $10.5 million going to 137 school bus fleets in 40 states to replace 473 older buses, each of which will receive rebates through EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funding. In EPA Region 7’s four states, districts received $730,000 to replace 36 older diesel buses. 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.
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Missouri Selections
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City
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# of Buses
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Funding
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Apple Bus Company (MO)
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Cleveland
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2
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$40,000
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Houston R-1 School District
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Houston
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2
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$40,000
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Sparta R-3 School District
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Sparta
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2
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$40,000
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Willard R-2 Public Schools
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Willard
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2
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$40,000
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Hillsboro R-3 School District
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Hillsboro
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1
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$20,000
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Palmyra R-1 School District
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Palmyra
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1
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$20,000
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Portageville School District
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Portageville
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1
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$20,000
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Winfield R-IV School District
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Winfield
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1
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$20,000
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“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.”
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 2020 Rebates are the first year in which EPA is offering additional funds for alt-fuel and electric bus replacements. This year, five fleets plan to replace 16 old diesel buses with electric buses.
“Reducing emissions will protect our children and youth from harmful pollutants that endanger their health and welfare,” said Acting EPA Region 7 Administrator Edward Chu. “The DERA program provides a building block for our many programs lowering and eliminating harmful gases and particulates from our environment.”
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 over 1,300 clean diesel projects across the country, reducing emissions in over 70,000 engines.
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