FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2025
Latine Parents, Students, and Voters Called on Congress to Preserve Funding For Clean School Buses that Protect Children’s Health
[Washington, DC] — Today, World Asthma Day, Chispa LCV, Chispa Maryland, Chispa Nevada, and Chispa Arizona began delivering nearly 300 handwritten postcards and more than 1,460 personal messages and emails to their state elected officials with a clear message: Congress must protect clean school bus funding.
As part of the budget reconciliation package, Congress could cut at least $2.2 billion in funding and additional tax credits for clean school buses and their charging stations. This puts clean air progress in our communities in jeopardy, because through the Clean School Bus Program and the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program, EPA has awarded $3.2 billion for more than 10,000 clean school buses at more than 1,200 school districts in every U.S. state and most territories.
Our Latine children and all our children’s health is on the line. Cutting these programs would mean 20 million U.S. children riding dirtier, old diesel buses to school, increasing their likelihood of developing asthma and other heart and lung illnesses.
“Nearly half of the U.S. population lives with unhealthy levels of air pollution, the latest American Lung Association report shows, and a growing proportion of the population is exposed to ozone and particle pollution that puts their health at risk. This is really bad news for our Latine children who are already disproportionately affected by asthma,” said Estefany Carrasco-Gonzalez, Chispa Senior Director. “Our children deserve to breathe clean air, and that’s what federal programs for clean school buses have helped deliver for our families. By reducing kids’ exposure to diesel school buses, we are helping to prevent more children from developing asthma, having an asthma attack, or being hospitalized because of lung illnesses. We need Congress to protect this funding and protect our children’s health now.”
“Clean school bus programs have been very popular with school districts, with over 2,500 school districts nationwide choosing to apply for the program, including here in Maryland,” said Eliseo Magos, community organizer with Chispa Maryland, where they delivered close to 200 postcards and hundreds of emails. “Our families and our schools want this funding to modernize their fleets and provide a clean ride for their students. Cutting these programs would not only hurt public health, it would also hurt Maryland schools that want to bring the funding and bus improvements to our kids and our communities.”
Chispa Maryland community members writing messages to Congress to protect Clean School Bus funding.
“I’d like to say that the air quality in Baltimore is really bad,” wrote student Abigail in one postcard to her Maryland Representatives. “Every little bit of clean transportation and help can make a difference.”
Chispa LCV community members have been contacting their Members of Congress since February to protect clean school bus funding, after funding was unexpectedly frozen and then slowly haltingly restored.
Today’s event was part of a national day of action hosted by the Alliance for Electric School Buses, a national coalition convened by Chispa, with events taking place throughout the nation. Across 17 states, parents, students, and voters began delivering more than 1,100 postcards with handwritten notes and 2,000 digital postcards to more than 31 Congressional offices.
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Nevada
Texas
Arizona
Colorado
Florida
Maryland