EPA Awards Grants To Ohio Counties For Clean School Bus Projects
CHICAGO - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has awarded a $118,000 grant to Hamilton County, Ohio, and $154,848 grant to the Canton Local School District, Canton, Ohio, for projects to cut diesel emissions from school buses. The grant in Hamilton County is for school districts in the Cincinnati metropolitan area.
EPA said the grants will be used to retrofit 84 school buses with equipment that will reduce diesel emissions. Three pre-1990 school buses in the Forest Hills and Northwest Local school districts in Hamilton County and two 1988 school buses in Canton will be replaced with new, low-emission 2007 or 2008 model year buses.
School districts that have agreed to partner in the retrofit project in the Cincinnati metropolitan area are: Northwest Local, Southwest Local and Sycamore Community City Schools in Hamilton County; Hamilton City Schools, Butler County; Felicity-Franklin School District, Clermont County; and Springboro Community City Schools, Warren County.
"EPA is working with the districts to upgrade and replace buses so students can breathe cleaner air and live healthier lives," said Regional Administrator Mary A. Gade. "Breathing diesel exhaust is not good for anyone, especially children."
The grants are part of EPA's Clean School Bus USA program. The goal of the program is to reduce children's exposure to diesel exhaust and the amount of air pollution created by diesel school buses. School buses are the safest way for children to get to school. However, pollution from the diesel vehicles has health implications for everyone.
Launched in April 2003, Clean School Bus USA brings together partners from business, education, transportation and public health organizations to eliminate unnecessary school bus idling, retrofit buses and replace the oldest buses with new, less polluting buses. More information on Clean School Bus USA is at www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/.
The grant was provided under the Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative, a collaborative of government, industry and non-profit organizations to reduce diesel emissions in the Midwest. More information on the initiative is at www.epa.gov/midwestcleandiesel/
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