The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced their latest round of funding to introduce additional low and zero-emission buses to school fleets across the nation.
The 2024 Clean School Bus Rebate Program is expected to award $965 million in rebate funding for electric, propane, or compressed natural gas buses. This round, EPA has increased the maximum number of buses funded per application from 25 to 50 school buses. Applicants who apply for electric buses are also eligible for funds to cover supporting charging infrastructure. Rebate amounts vary by the bus size, fuel type, and whether the applying school meets one or more of EPA’s prioritization criteria, as follows:
Many Oklahoma school districts meet one or more criterion for prioritization under the CSB Rebate Program, which are:
- High-need school districts and low-income areas:
- School districts listed in the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) School District Estimates for 2022 as having 20% or more students living in poverty.
- Title I-funded public school districts and charter school districts not listed in the SAIPE data.
- Rural – School districts identified with locale code “43-Rural: Remote” by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
- Tribal – Bureau of Indian Education-funded school districts.
Full program details and eligibility criteria can be found in the 2024 Clean School Bus Rebate Program Guide.
The application period ends January 9, 2025 at 3:00PM CT.
For more information, visit: https://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/clean-school-bus-program-rebates?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email#overview
