CT To Get Dozens Of Electric School Buses Thanks To EPA Grant

CONNECTICUT — Connecticut is one of the states set to receive millions of dollars to purchase electric buses for its schools thanks to federal funding through the Environmental Protection Agency's first Clean School Bus Program Grants Competition, the EPA announced in a news release Monday.

The grants, which the agency said are part of its "ongoing commitment to protecting children and improving air quality," will gift over $53.3 million in total to the City of Boston and DATTCO, Inc., a New England bus charter.

DATTCO, Inc. is receiving nearly $33.3 million to purchase 85 buses for five school districts in Connecticut and Massachusetts, while Boston will receive over $20 million to purchase 50 clean school buses, officials said.

Twenty-five buses will go to Hartford Public Schools, which serves students in Hartford and nearly 70 surrounding towns, and the other 25 will go to the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System, data shows.

The awards "will be made possible through President Biden's Investing in America agenda," the EPA said in the news release. The $5 billion Clean School Bus Program was created by President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

"By accelerating the transition to low- and zero-emission vehicles, these awards will improve air quality for children and their families and advance environmental justice, all while boosting the economy and creating good-paying jobs," according to EPA officials.

The program is having far-reaching effects across school districts and their surrounding communities, officials said, noting that air pollution from older diesel engines is linked to asthma and other conditions that harm students' health and can cause them to miss school.

"Phasing out these older diesel engines, which disproportionately affect communities of color and Tribal communities, ensures cleaner air for students, bus drivers, school staff working near bus loading areas, and the communities through which the buses drive each day," EPA officials said in the news release.

The Clean School Bus Program includes both a grant program where selected applicants are awarded funds to purchase buses, and a rebate program that allows selectees to receive awards before buying buses that replace existing school buses with clean models, according to officials.

The EPA said it will make more funds available for clean school buses in additional rounds of funding. According to EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan, even the students are excited about breathing easier.

"I've sat next to students on their very first clean school bus ride and their excitement reflects the power of good policy," Regan said.