October 26, 2022
Contact: Carolina Chacon, Chispa | 702-810-7155 | carolina@chaconconsulting.com Hannah Hertlein | 513-262-6597 | hannah@impactcommunications-publicaffairs.com
Spokespeople are available for interviews in English and Spanish.
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Today, the U.S. EPA announced that Clark County School District (CCSD) is one of 389 across the country — and the only one in Nevada — receiving an inaugural Clean School Bus Program rebate. CCSD will receive $9,875,000 ($9.9 million), delivered before the district pays, to purchase 25 zero-tailpipe-emission electric school buses and their charging stations. Chispa Nevada and partners issued the following statement:
Angeles Sanchez, Mom and Promotora with Chispa Nevada, said:
“We’re thrilled to welcome this EPA funding for Clark County School District to continue the transition to a clean ride for kids, especially for low-income Nevadans and Nevandans of color who breathe the dirtiest air and most need a relief from pollution. In community with our members and promotoras, parents and students, Chispa Nevada has led a Clean Buses for Healthy Niños campaign since 2017, fighting for electric school buses that won’t pollute the air our children breathe. As the mother of a child who suffers from asthma and rides in diesel school buses, this is a victory for our communities. We look forward to working with Clark County School District to fully transition its fleet to zero-tailpipe-emission school buses. Our children deserve to breathe clean air.”
Dr. Tiffany Tyler-Garner, Executive Director for Children’s Advocacy Alliance, said:
“The Children’s Advocacy Alliance is beyond excited for Clark County School District’s historic opportunity to transition to electric school buses and clean rides for kids. Our latest Kids Count report shows that Nevada unfortunately lags behind in many key indicators of children’s health and well-being. Today’s EPA announcement and CCSD’s acceptance of nearly $10 million in electric school bus rebates is a giant step forward to reduce students’ exposure to harmful pollution. When our children thrive, Nevada thrives.
Cinthia Moore, Coalition Coordinator for the Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition, said:
“The Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition (NEJC) is excited for the funding that CCSD will receive through the EPA’s 2022 Clean School Bus Program. Our children deserve to ride clean buses, and not have to worry about whether the air that they are breathing inside the diesel school bus is going to cause an asthma attack or exacerbate their breathing issues. Children in CCSD riding school buses will benefit from the better air quality afforded by zero-tail-pipe-emission electric school buses. Bolstering our transportation systems not only makes our cities more climate-friendly, but decreases the demand for harmful mining across Nevada and the globe.”
Tyler Merriweather, Federal Funding Implementation Coordinator for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), said:
“This is really great news for Clark County students and families. This rebate will help the district shift to energy-efficient, clean, electric school buses, which will save money and reduce pollution. That will mean more resources for teaching and healthier kids. This is just the first round of five years of grants and rebates – every school district in Nevada should pursue this funding.”
The EPA Clean School Bus Program (CSBP) was created by the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act of 2021, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and will distribute $5 billion over 5 years to replace polluting buses with electric school buses. The program prioritizes funding for low-income, rural and Tribal school districts; Clark County School DIstrict was considered a priority school district by the EPA. Due to overwhelming demand, the EPA nearly doubled this year’s funding from originally offering $500 million to now awarding $965 million in rebates. The 2022 rebates will fund approximately 2,4000 new school buses in 389 school districts across the country. Over 90% of 2022 applicants requested electric school buses, and 95% of new school buses funded through the CSBP will be electric. School districts have until April 2023 to submit their proof of purchase orders to receive funding, and additional funding opportunities will be made available over the next four years.
As a founding member of the Alliance for Electric School Buses — a national coalition of not-for-profit organizations committed to an equitable electrification of the nation’s school bus fleet — Chispa has advocated for federal funding for zero-emission, electric school buses since 2019, and for Nevada to begin the transition to electric school buses since 2016. We look forward to bringing additional opportunities for Nevada to join the momentum for a #CleanRide4Kids.
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