(AGENPARL) – lun 08 gennaio 2024 Issued: Jan 8, 2024 (2:10pm EST)
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Biden-Harris Administration announces nearly $19 million in awards for Clean
School Buses across New Jersey as part of Investing in America Agenda
Contact Information:
NEW YORK (Jan. 8, 2024) – As part of its ongoing commitment to protecting
children and improving air quality, today, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency announced the selection of New Jersey-based applicant to receive nearly
$19 million through EPA’s first Clean School Bus Program Grants Competition.
The awards, which are made possible through President Biden’s Investing in
America agenda, will help selectees purchase clean school buses in five school
districts in New Jersey, including Elizabeth, Union City, Newark, Bloomfield
Township and Lakewood Township. 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.
Van-Con, Inc. has been selected to receive nearly $19 million to purchase 42
clean school buses and 28 bus chargers.
“Today we’re once again accelerating the transition to electric and
low-emission school buses in America, helping to secure a healthier future
where all our children can breathe cleaner air,” said EPA Administrator
Michael S. Regan. “I’ve sat next to students on their very first clean
school bus ride and their excitement reflects the power of good policy. 
Thanks to President Biden’s historic investments in America, thousands more
school buses will hit the road in school districts across the country, saving
school districts money and improving air quality at the same time.” 
“Electric and low-emission school buses are just one important way forward
to a clean and just transition,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F.
Garcia. “The Clean School Bus Grants Program will create a pathway for
entire school districts in our region to upgrade their bus fleets and in turn,
reduce air pollution and protect public health.”
“The investments President Biden and Congressional Democrats have made are
helping provide clean air, water, and a healthy environment for all Americans,
all while creating jobs and strengthening the economy,” said Senator Cory
Booker. “I am proud to have worked with and supported school districts up
and down the state that will now be able to deploy low-emission school buses
that provide cleaner air for our children and families, lower costs for school
districts that can then better invest in our children’s education, and
advance environmental justice for communities disproportionately harmed by
toxic pollution.”
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is once again delivering for New Jersey.
This is a great step in our effort to fight climate change, transition to
green infrastructure, and protect the health of our children, while lifting
the financial burden off the shoulders of our local municipalities. Securing
federal grants like this one are key to my mission to make New Jersey a
better, safer, and more affordable place to live,” said U.S. Representative
Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11). “Thank you to the EPA for helping protect New
Jersey’s environment.” 
“Van-Con, Inc. and CCMT are privileged and honored to be selected by the
U.S. EPA to lead this major deployment of zero emission battery electric
school buses in New Jersey. This funding is going to create cleaner,
healthier, and quieter communities across New Jersey, including some of the
largest environmental justice districts in the state. It is also going to
create jobs right here in New Jersey, as well as across the United States as
the buses are made in New Jersey, Georgia, and Michigan,” said James
Sherman, project developer, manager and CEO of Climate Change Mitigation
Technologies LLC (CCMT). 
“Van-Con Inc. has been in business for 50 years serving New Jersey’s
school bus transportation needs and we welcome the shift to electric school
buses,” added Jim Anderson, president of Van-Con, Inc. “They provide
multiple benefits to the community and operators alike and help fight climate
change. We look forward to working with the U.S. EPA, CCMT and all Boards of
Education and school bus contractors involved to bring cleaner air to all New
Jersey school districts.”
The Clean School Bus Program will set school districts and surrounding
communities on a path to better health outcomes. Traditionally, air pollution
from older diesel engines is linked to asthma and other respiratory and
cardiovascular conditions that can be linked to increased school absences.
 Phasing out these older diesel engines, which disproportionately affects
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.
Proactive and ongoing communication with key stakeholders, like school boards
and local utilities, is critical to successful bus and infrastructure
deployment. To ensure the successful implementation of the selected projects
funding electric buses and charging infrastructure, EPA has created a Utility
Partnership Template which encourages early and robust engagement between the
grantee and their utility company.
Grantees will work with their EPA Regional Project Officers to finalize
project plans and purchase their awarded new buses and eligible
infrastructure. As grants are finalized, total amounts awarded and number of
buses may be adjusted. EPA is also partnering with the Joint Office of Energy
and Transportation to provide grantees with robust technical assistance to
ensure effective implementation. All selectees must submit a Utility
Partnership Agreement to verify that the school district’s electric utility
provider is aware of the school district’s rebate application.
EPA’s $5 billion Clean School Bus Program, created by President Biden’s
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, 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 purchasing eligible buses that
replace existing school buses with clean and zero-emission models. Today’s
Clean School Bus grants are the second round of selections announced for the
newly created program. EPA will make more funds available for clean school
buses in additional rounds of funding.
EPA is currently accepting applications for the 2023 Clean School Bus Rebate
Program until January 31, 2024. EPA encourages applicants not selected for the
2023 Clean School Bus Grant Program – and those that did not apply – to
participate in current and future funding rounds. Once the application period
for the 2023 rebate program closes and the school districts selected are
notified, school districts can proceed with purchasing new buses and eligible
infrastructure. Selectees will need to submit Payment Request Forms with
purchase orders demonstrating they have ordered new buses and eligible
infrastructure. After the selectees submit the proper forms, they will be
eligible to receive rebate funds. All selectees must submit a Utility
Partnership Agreement to verify that the school district’s electric utility
provider is aware of the school district’s rebate application.
To learn more about the 2023 Clean School Bus Rebate Program, applicant
eligibility, selection process, and informational webinar dates for future
rounds of funding, visit the Clean School Bus Program website. Questions about
about Clean School Bus Program technical assistance may be directed to
About the Clean School Bus Program
EPA’s Clean School Bus Program was adopted under President Biden’s
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides an unprecedented $5 billion of
funding to transform the nation’s fleet of school buses. The Clean School
Bus Program funds electric buses, producing zero tailpipe emissions, as well
as propane and compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, resulting in lower tailpipe
emissions compared to their older diesel predecessors.
The Clean School Bus Program will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save money
for school districts, and produce cleaner air. Air pollution from older diesel
engines is linked to asthma and other conditions that harm students’ health
and cause them to miss school, particularly in communities of color and Tribal
communities. Efforts to minimize the effects of these older diesel engines
will ensure cleaner air for students, bus drivers, and school staff working
near the bus loading areas, and the communities through which the buses drive
each day.
The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from these bus replacements will
also help to address the outsized role of the transportation sector in fueling
the climate crisis. The Program will benefit school districts as they upgrade
to cost saving and fuel-efficient school bus fleets, by replacing existing
buses with brand new zero-emission and clean school buses and freeing up
needed resources for schools.
In April 2023, EPA announced the availability of at least $400 million for its
2023 Clean School Bus Grants through a Notice of Funding Opportunity. The
grant application period closed in August 2023 with an outstanding response
from applicants seeking to purchase electric and low-emission school buses.
Given the overwhelming demand and high-scoring applications, including
applicants in low-income communities, Tribal nations and territories, EPA has
nearly doubled the amount of funding that will be awarded this round to
approximately $965 million. These awards follow over $875 million obligated to
new buses from the Clean School Bus Program’s 2022 Rebates, which funded the
replacement of 2,366 buses at 372 school districts to further improve air
quality in and around schools, to reduce greenhouse gas pollution fueling the
climate crisis, and help accelerate America’s leadership in developing the
clean vehicles of the future.
Prioritized school districts in low-income, rural, and/or Tribal communities
make up approximately 86% of the projects selected for funding. The program
delivers on President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver
40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged
communities that are marginalized, underserved and overburdened by pollution.
View the full list of Clean School Bus grantees here.