Four Arkansas school districts receive $11.03 million for clean school buses

Four Arkansas public school districts will receive a combined $11.03 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to purchase “clean” school buses to replace diesel-fueled buses.

The Clean School Bus Program funds electric buses and propane and compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, which produce lower tailpipe emissions compared to diesel-fueled buses.

The funding, from the EPA’s 2023 Clean School Bus program, will go to the following four school districts to purchase a total of 36 new school buses.
• Batesville: $365,000
• Farmington: $1.22 million
• Little Rock: $8.625 million
• Quitman: $820,000

The rebate program is estimated to help school districts nationwide to buy more than 3,400 clean school buses, with 92% of those being electric powered. To date, the EPA has awarded just under $3 billion to fund around 8,500 new school buses and more than 1,000 school districts.

“President Biden believes every child deserves the opportunity to lead a healthy life and breathe clean air, and his Investing in America agenda is designed to deliver just that,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. “With today’s latest round of funding, we are transforming the nation’s school bus fleet to better protect our most precious cargo – our kids – saving school districts money, improving air quality, and bolstering American manufacturing all at the same time.”

According to the EPA, funds in this round were prioritized to reach school districts in low-income, rural, and Tribal communities, with 67% of funding received by those groups.