San Diego, CA – Today, Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) and other local leaders celebrated the announcement of a $12,431,000 million EPA Grant to the San Diego Unified School District to purchase 30 zero-emission, clean school buses to replace polluting diesel buses. The EPA’s $5 billion Clean School Bus Program was funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Rep. Peters helped pass into law in 2021. 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 while boosting the economy and creating good-paying jobs.

The Clean School Bus Program has far-reaching effects on school districts and their communities. 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 harm communities of color, ensures cleaner air for students, bus drivers, school staff working near bus loading areas, and the communities through which the buses drive daily.

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to deliver for communities across America, including San Diego,” said Representative Scott Peters. “This $12.4 million grant is a win for our planet, our students’ health, and the San Diego Unified School District. I look forward to celebrating with students, parents, and local leaders when I am back in San Diego.”

“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.” 

“With this Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, San Diego Unified will be able to purchase 30 electric school buses, helping our region meet our climate action goals,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “I thank Administrator Regan for this transformational investment in San Diego, and I’m grateful to our congressional delegation for helping our region become more sustainable and resilient.”

“Thanks to the generous Clean School Bus Grant from the EPA, San Diego Unified School District will have the funding to expand our fleet of electric school buses by replacing 30 diesel school buses with zero-emission school buses. Everyone deserves clean air and an environment that will help them thrive. These all-electric buses will not only benefit our students and employees, but the communities in which they serve,” said Dr. Lamont Jackson, Superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District.  

“San Diego's parents know the delay and frustration of long pickup and drop-off lines at schools. But those long lines of cars, coupled with diesel-powered buses, also create terrible air pollution around our schools. This grant for more electric school buses will not only improve air quality near schools, but make everybody's day a little more pleasant,” said Will Moore, Policy Counsel for Circulate San Diego.

The San Diego Unified School District will work with the EPA to finalize project plans and purchase their awarded new buses and eligible infrastructure. The total amount awarded and the number of buses may be adjusted slightly as the grant is finalized. To learn more about the 2023 Clean School Bus Rebate Program, applicant eligibility, selection process, and informational webinar dates for future funding rounds, visit the Clean School Bus Program website.

About the Clean School Bus Program:

EPA’s Clean School Bus Program was adopted under the 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, and 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 new zero-emission and clean school buses, freeing up needed resources for schools.

Prioritized school districts in low-income, rural, and/or Tribal communities comprise 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 complete list of Clean School Bus grantees here.

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