South Carolina Gets Grant to Clean Up School Buses

By: STAFF REPORTS | News Channel 7
Published: July 06, 2009

In a move that stands to create jobs, boost local economies, reduce diesel emissions and protect human health and the environment for people of the State of South Carolina, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $553,918 to the South Carolina Department of Education to replace old school buses with new low emission hybrid buses and retrofit existing buses with cleaner technology. This clean diesel project will create jobs while protecting South Carolina's air quality.

"This grant is a great investment in environmental protection and will provide long-term economic benefits for South Carolina," said Stan Meiburg, EPA Acting Administrator in Atlanta. "This funding will go a long way in helping to bolster the economy and protect public health and the environment by creating green jobs that improve air quality."

To speed distribution of funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), EPA is funding proposals from last year's National Clean Diesel Campaign grant competition. The South Carolina Department of Education will replace four existing 65-passenger Type C buses with four hybrid electric public school buses. The project will also install retrofit crankcase ventilation filtration systems on 500 public school buses. This project will also result in an estimated 4.7 tons of emissions reduced.

In addition to helping to create and retain jobs, this clean diesel project will reduce premature deaths, asthma attacks and other respiratory ailments, lost work days, and many other health impacts every year.

EPA will award the remaining Recovery Act clean diesel grants in the coming months.

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 17, 2009 and has directed that the Recovery Act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability.