News Releases from Region 01
Glastonbury Conn. School System awarded $100,000 in EPA Rebates to Reduce School Bus Emissions
GLASTONBURY, CONN. – The Glastonbury Board of Education was chosen to receive a grant of $100,000 from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to replace five older school buses, replacing older equipment with newer buses or engines that emit less diesel exhaust.
The Glastonbury Public School bus fleet in Connecticut, along with three fleets in Maine and one fleet in Rhode Island, were among the 145 fleets chosen nationwide to receive rebates through the EPA's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) 2018 School Bus Rebate program, with $9.3 million in funding available to replace 473 older diesel school buses. New buses will reduce emissions of harmful pollutants like nitrous oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) which are linked to health effects including asthma and lung damage.
"These EPA funds to replace older bus engines with cleaner units will mean healthier rides for kids in Glastonbury who ride a school bus every day to get to their school," said Deb Szaro Acting regional administrator of EPA's New England office. "Parents rely on school buses to safely bring their children to and from school, and we're proud to help ensure lower emissions and cleaner air for this community."
"Our Board of Education has made a commitment to reducing the age and environmental impact of our school buses. The EPA rebate helps us to sustain that commitment and ensure that all of our students have safe and reliable transportation to school each day," said Dr. Alan Bookman, Superintendent of Glastonbury Public Schools.
Under the program, diesel school buses that have an engine year of 2006 or older were replaced with new buses powered by 2017 or newer model-year engines, which can reduce pollutants by over 90 percent. Selectees of the School Bus Rebate Program are receiving a $15,000-$20,000 rebate per bus, dependent upon bus size. Rebates cover approximately 25 percent of the purchase price of the new bus.
More info on EPA's 2018 DERA school bus rebate program and recipients: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/cleandiesel/clean-diesel-rebates