Environmental Protection Agency Awards Funding to Replace and Upgrade School Buses in New York
NEW YORK, NY - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 2 office is awarding a Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program grant totaling $246,006 to the National School Transportation Association (NSTA) to curb harmful pollution from school buses on Long Island.
“This grant program is a perfect example of how EPA’s grants incentivize public and private entities alike to invest in innovative technology that not only produces environmental benefits but also boosts business,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “As we strengthen our partnerships, EPA will continue to work toward reducing harmful air pollutants and improving air quality in New York’s Nassau and Suffolk Counties.”
- The National School Transportation Association (NSTA) will receive $246,006 to replace diesel school buses with all-electric buses and retrofit additional diesel school buses with anti-idling technology in New York’s Nassau and Suffolk Counties. This investment will reduce about 11 tons of nitrogen oxides and about two tons of fine particles.
“The National School Transportation Association (NSTA) is grateful for the opportunity to partner with the EPA in reducing diesel emissions,” said Executive Director Tiffany Boykin. “Through the NSTA, members have access to important programs like DERA offered through the EPA which provide such a great opportunity for school bus contractors to do their part to reduce emissions. The NSTA is honored to support and congratulate member The Trans Group, LLC on receiving this important award.”
The replacement and retrofit of diesel trucks will reduce harmful diesel emissions, providing important public health and air quality benefits. Exposure to diesel exhaust can lead to serious health conditions like asthma and respiratory illnesses and can worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly.
For more information about EPA's National Clean Diesel campaign and DERA program, visit www.epa.gov/cleandiesel.
Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at www.twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/eparegion2.
