WEST SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) New England Regional Administrator David Cash joined elected officials and school leaders in West Springfield to celebrate the award of 25 zero-emission school buses to the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative. The new buses for West Springfield are part of nearly $1 Billion in rebates already awarded nationwide to school districts and school bus companies last year under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Clean School Bus Program that is providing funding for nearly 2,500 zero-emission buses across the country.
Under the Clean School Bus program, EPA is providing $9,375,000 in bus rebates and $500,000 in charging infrastructure, for a total of $9,875,000 going to the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative.
"President Biden's Investing in America agenda is delivering significant funding to Massachusetts school districts for clean electric school buses, with a particular focus on reducing air pollution in disadvantaged communities overburdened by dirty air," said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. "These zero-emission vehicles will help provide cleaner and healthier air for school children, reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, and save money for our communities. Investing in America means investing in communities so that a parent waiting at the bus stop with their kid is not worried what their child is breathing."
"President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to deliver for the people of Massachusetts," said U.S. Congressman Richard Neal. "The Ways and Means Committee played a prominent role in the drafting of this legislation, a pillar of which was investing in clean, environmentally friendly initiatives such as the Clean Bus Program. With nearly $10 million being delivered to the Lower Pioneer Valley Education Collaborative, parents will have a cleaner and healthier transportation option for their children, one that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality throughout our communities."
"Protecting air quality and public health are top priorities of the Healey-Driscoll Administration," said Commissioner Bonnie Heiple of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. "As we kick off Climate Week in Massachusetts, the Biden-Harris Administration’s investments in electric school buses will help students in West Springfield and across the Pioneer Valley breathe easier and help combat climate change with every ride to and from school."
"The West Springfield Public School District is thrilled to be part of the Clean School Bus Program as part of the Lower Pioneer Valley Education Collaborative. We're excited by the prospect of these zero emission buses helping to improve the air quality within the communities of Hampden County," said West Springfield Schools Superintendent Stefania Raschilla.
"The Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative (LPVEC) is excited to be connected with this local, state, and national initiative of reducing our carbon footprint and making our environment cleaner and healthier. Most important with the introduction of 25 electric buses to our fleet, it is a great opportunity for the LPVEC and its seven member Districts, which includes West Springfield, to take a step towards a less polluted and greener future. With the LPVEC being a part of this initiative through the US Environmental Protection Agency Clean Bus Program, it educates and empowers us, our member Districts, our communities, and our children about the importance of environmental conservation. Lastly, we, the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative would like to thank the EPA and the Mass DEP for acknowledging us and West Springfield for our small contribution to making our communities less contaminated and healthier for all," said Alvin W. Morton, Executive Director of the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative.
"As the West Springfield district member of the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative (LPVEC) Board of Directors, I’ve had the privilege of seeing the LPVEC $9,875,000 EV bus and infrastructure awards come to fruition. These 25 buses will serve West Springfield and member LPVEC districts, promoting healthier and quieter bus rides for students. This will also translate into district school budget savings. A win-win for all. Thank you to the EPA and MA DEP for recognizing LPVEC and West Springfield," said Diana Coyne, Member of the West Springfield, MA School Committee & LPVEC Board of Directors.
Emission reductions from buses made available through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Clean School Bus Program will result in cleaner air for students riding the buses, bus drivers, school staff working near the bus loading areas, and the communities the buses drive through each day. Beyond the community, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from these bus replacement projects will help to address the outsized role of the transportation sector on climate change.
Over the past summer, EPA also announced the second round of funding under BIL Clean School Bus Program. Nationwide, $400 million in grants was made available for cleaner school buses, as part of the unprecedented $5 billion investment to transform the nation's fleet of school buses. The new buses purchased under this program will reduce harmful pollution and help to protect children's health, especially in communities already overburdened with air pollution. Under President Biden's Investing in America agenda, funding from EPA's BIL Clean School Bus Program will improve air quality in and around schools and communities. These projects save schools money, create good-paying clean energy jobs and reduce greenhouse gas pollution, protecting people and the planet.
President Biden's Investing in America agenda is growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out – from rebuilding our nation's infrastructure, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good-paying jobs that don't require a four-year degree, to building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.
To learn more about the upcoming grant and rebate funding opportunities including informational webinars and listserv signup, visit EPA's Clean School Bus Program webpage.
from EPA News Releases https://ift.tt/B0AdajM