EPA program sending electric buses to Nebraska schools
Students in six rural Nebraska school districts will be riding to school in new electric school buses beginning next fall.
By News Channel NebraskaEWING, Neb. -- Students in six rural Nebraska school districts will be riding to school in new electric school buses beginning next fall.
The districts were awarded grants in the 2022 round of the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean School Bus Rebate Program .
The EPA received $5 billion over five years from the 2021 bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to replace older diesel buses with low- or no-emission ones.
The Nebraska school districts will receiver nearly $400,000 to cover the cost of the bus and the charging infrastructure.
Summerland superintendent Kyle Finke said the opportunity was hard to pass up.
“To buy a diesel bus right now, it’s around $120,000. The grant that I received basically will pay for the electric vehicle bus that we just purchased," Finke said. "So, I mean, it’s good for the district.”
Other districts receiving the grant include Hay Springs, Hershey, McCool Junction, Raymond Central and Southern.
Superintendents in the first round of the program say they will be keeping close records to share with other districts considering an electric bus.
The EPA will have four more rounds of the Clean School Bus Rebate Program between now and 2026, officials have said.