Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding $5,530,000 to the Banks and Prospect school districts, through their new Clean School Bus Program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These awards are intended to support the districts in replacing existing schools buses with zero- or low-emission buses.
“Every child should be able to travel to and from school without being exposed to dangerous toxins. By curbing the dangerous pollution emitted by existing school bus fleets, we will not only be support our students, but also helping to address climate chaos, giving them a brighter future,” said Merkley. “I am happy kids in Banks and Prospect will be getting a cleaner and safer way to school.”
“No child riding a school bus should be forced to breathe polluted air on their way to and from school,” said Wyden. “The Clean School Bus Rebates Program adds up to cleaner air for children and their communities, lower costs for school districts, and an investment in the climate fight — and I’m glad to see kids in Prospect and Banks will be among the first to benefit from this innovative program.”
The EPA’s new Clean School Bus Program will provide $5 billion over the next five years to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models. The program awarded $965 million through the 2022 Clean School Bus Rebates for zero-emission and low-emission school buses.
Funding recipients and amounts headed to Oregon can be found below:
- Navistar, Inc., for the Banks School District 13: $4,345,000
- Prospect School District 59: $1,185,000