The federal EPA id allotting funds to the Durham Public Schools to purchase 38 electric school buses. (Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images)
Durham Public Schools will soon receive 38 new electric school buses, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan announced at a press conference on Wednesday.
It’s the EPA’s latest investment in North Carolina, which has received $70 million in federal dollars across 32 school districts around the state for the purpose of replacing more than 230 traditionally fueled school buses.
The EPA has $5 billion to spend on electrifying school buses nationwide over the next five years, Regan said. Millions of children ride the buses between their neighborhoods and school every day.
Buses that run on electricity or other types of clean energy would release fewer air pollutants like nitrogen oxides and soot.
On the other hand, traditional vehicles that transport students to and from school can sometimes trigger respiratory distress or asthma, or emit toxic pollutants into the air that impact the children as well as the neighborhood communities.
“It means cleaner air. It means healthier children. It means healthier communities,” Regan said.
Electric buses have generally received a positive response from drivers, parents, teachers, and other community members, according to Zealan Hoover, senior advisor to the EPA administrator and director of implementation.
He said clean buses could replace about 95 percent of school buses in the country, including in rural and remote areas. The five percent of buses that traverse longer routes that would require a stop to recharge are likely not a good fit in the near term.
While electric buses produce fewer emissions than their diesel counterparts, traditional gas school buses still emit less pollutants per rider than automobiles.
“We have the incredible opportunity to be the nation’s lead agency to transform buses,” Hoover told NC Newsline.
Durham Public Schools received a $15 million grant towards implementing electric buses and infrastructure from the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program Awards.
It’s the largest share of the federal funding for North Carolina. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Cherokee Central schools, Kannapolis City Schools, and Durham charter schools also received electric buses, NC Newsline previously reported.
“Durham has deep roots in environmental stewardship, and this is another example of the importance of this moment in furthering that legacy,” Durham Public Schools superintendent Anthony Lewis said.