Oregon will soon have more than 200 federally-funded electric school buses shuttling kids to and from school following an announcement that the state will get money for more early next year.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Dec. 11 that it has allocated more than $6.5 million to Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality so districts can retire 26 diesel buses and replace them with electric ones. The money will also go toward installing more electric vehicle chargers and training 17 mechanics in the Beaverton and Reynolds school districts to work on electric buses and charging infrastructure, according to an EPA news release.
Diesel and heavy-duty gas-powered buses emit high levels of air pollutants that cause asthma and cardiovascular disease along with greenhouse gases that spur climate change, according to the EPA. With DEQ data showing that transportation is the single largest contributor to Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions, curtailing them is a priority for state officials.