Five Nebraska School Districts and One Bus Company Receiving $250,000 in School Bus Rebate Opportunities

EPA awards rebates totaling $17 million to fund clean school buses that reduce diesel emissions and protect children’s health

March 8, 2022

LENEXA, KAN. (MARCH 8, 2022) – At an event Monday with Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the winners of two school bus rebate opportunities: 2021 American Rescue Plan (ARP) Electric School Bus Rebates, and 2021 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) School Bus Rebates.

The $7 million in ARP funding is directed toward school districts in underserved communities to replace old diesel buses with new, zero-emission electric models; and the $10 million in DERA rebates will assist with 444 school bus replacements across the country.

“The historic investments in clean transportation resulting from President Biden’s leadership will have lasting impacts on protecting clean air for children for generations,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This round of school bus grants from the American Rescue Plan is just the beginning. The unprecedented $5 billion investment that’s on the way for clean and zero-emission school buses from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will transform how millions of children get to school and help build a better America for a new generation.”

“This funding is a vivid demonstration of how local school bus infrastructure can be upgraded, while also improving air quality in communities,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meghan A. McCollister. “We encourage all Region 7 school transportation fleet supervisors to learn more about this program.”

As part of the announcement, five Nebraska school districts and a bus company will be receiving a total of $250,000 in school bus rebate opportunities to replace 11 older buses through the 2021 DERA School Bus Rebates.

Nebraska School Districts and Bus Company	Location	Buses	Funding
Centennial Public Schools	Utica	1	$25,000
Doc Holiday Express Company	Grand Island	5	$125,000
Dundy County Stratton Schools	Benkelman	1	$20,000
Elmwood-Murdock Public Schools	Murdock	1	$20,000
Harvard Public School	Harvard	2	$40,000
Sutherland Public School	Sutherland	1	$20,000

In addition to the $17 million announced today, in the coming weeks, EPA plans to announce a new Clean School Bus rebate program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides an unprecedented $5 billion over five years to replace existing school buses with low- or zero-emission school buses.

The rebate awards are EPA’s latest round of funding for longstanding DERA School Bus Rebates. This year’s program awards approximately $10 million to fund the replacement of old diesel school buses with new electric, diesel, gasoline, propane, or compressed natural gas (CNG) school buses meeting current emission standards.

The two rebate awards total approximately $17 million in combined funding for schools and bus fleet owners to replace older, highly polluting diesel school buses. Replacing these buses will improve air quality in and around schools and communities, reduce greenhouse gas pollution, and better protect children’s health overall. Since 2012, EPA’s school bus rebates have awarded, or are in the process of awarding, over $73 million to replace more than 3,000 old diesel school buses.

This program will also prioritize projects that help achieve the goals of President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to ensure that federal agencies deliver at least 40% of benefits from certain investments to underserved communities.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Clean School Bus Program

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides an unprecedented $5 billion over five years for the Clean School Bus Program to replace existing school buses with cleaner models. In spring 2022, EPA plans to announce a new Clean School Bus rebate program for applicants to replace existing school buses with low- or zero-emission school buses. EPA may prioritize applications that replace school buses in high-need local educational agencies, low-income and rural areas, tribal schools, and applications that provide cost share. To learn more about the upcoming Clean School Bus Program, please visit EPA’s website.

To learn more about the rebate programs, applicant eligibility, and selection process, visit EPA’s website.