The Southland's clean air agency has approved $17.9 million in grants to 28 school districts to purchase 169 new, clean-burning natural gas school buses or less-polluting diesel models to help reduce children's exposure to toxic diesel soot.

"These compressed natural gas-powered buses, and lower-emission diesel models, will cut children's health risk from breathing diesel soot, which the State of California has declared a cancer-causing agent," said Barry Wallerstein, executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

AQMD's action on June 15 will fund the purchase of 102 compressed natural gas (CNG) school buses, CNG fueling stations for the vehicles, as well as 67 lower-emission diesel buses in 28 school districts in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties (see following list).

"Combined with AQMD's school bus rule, this is a major step toward providing students a diesel-free ride to school," Wallerstein said.

AQMD's Rule 1195 -- Clean On-Road School Buses, adopted this spring, requires school districts and private bus transportation companies to begin phasing in low-emission school buses when outside funding is available.

The school bus rule is one of seven measures adopted in the last year by AQMD's Governing Board aimed at reducing diesel and toxic emissions from Southland fleets. Reducing residents' exposure to harmful diesel emissions, particularly in areas dominated by low-income and minority populations, was one of the chief goals of AQMD's Environmental Justice Initiatives, adopted in 1997.

Since school districts applied for many more buses than could be purchased with available funding, AQMD's Board adopted a point system to rank each application. The ranking system placed a priority on school districts with a large number of students from low-income families and communities with a high exposure to diesel soot and particulate pollution.

In addition, funds were distributed to each county in the same proportion as each county's population. School districts generally match the funding with $25,000 per bus. Of the $17.9 million awarded, the statewide Lower-Emission School Bus Program provided $16.25 million and AQMD contributed $1.66 million.

AQMD last year helped launch the non-profit, private Adopt-a-School Bus Foundation, which also aims to replace diesel buses with cleaner burning models.

AQMD also is actively supporting state legislation to authorize future funding to school districts to replace diesel buses.

Next month, AQMD's Governing Board will consider approving a program expected to fund the installation of soot-reducing particulate traps on thousands of school buses in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

"As a result of AQMD's proactive initiatives and state funding, we are well on the road toward replacing today's dirty diesel school buses with a cleaner fleet," Wallerstein said.

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This page updated: March 01, 2004
URL: http://www.aqmd.gov/news1/School_bus_funding.htm