PIERRE, SD — Six South Dakota school districts are receiving Environmental Protection Agency grants for its Clean School Bus Program rebate competition. The districts will receive a combined three-point-six million dollars to purchase ten clean buses each. Nine will be electric-powered and one will use compressed natural gas. Funds will go to schools in Alexandria, De Smet, Garrestson, Lower Brule, Viborg, and Volga.
The grants will help the school districts purchase clean school buses (nine electric-powered and one compressed natural gas) that will accelerate the nation’s transition to zero emissions vehicles and produce cleaner air in and around schools and communities.
Lower Brule is getting $395,000 to purchase one bus.
The other grant recipients in South Dakota are:
Alexandria: $395,000, 1 bus
DeSmet: $395,000, 1 bus
Garretson: $1,185,000, 3 buses
Viborg: $440,000, 2 buses
Volga: $790,000, 2 buses
The school districts who received an award can now proceed with purchasing new buses and eligible infrastructure. EPA is also partnering with the US Department of Energy and Department of Transportation to provide school districts with robust technical assistance to ensure effective implementation.
These awards are the first $1 billion of a five-year, $5 billion federal program. At this time, the agency has selected 389 applications totaling $913 million to support the purchase of 2,463 buses, 95% of which will be electric. More applications are under review, and the agency plans to select more to reach the full $965 million in the coming weeks.
In May, EPA announced the availability of $500 million for its Clean School Bus Program. Given overwhelming demand, EPA nearly doubled the amount of funding that will be awarded to $965 million.
