CCSD awarded nearly $10M for new electric school buses
The Clark County School District will receive nearly $10 million to replace diesel-powered school buses with electric buses.
Under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program, districts across the country will receive money to purchase more than 2,400 electric school buses that will contribute to cleaner air around school communities.
Superintendent Jesus Jara said in a statement Wednesday that funding from the EPA’s program would allow the district to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission buses.
“CCSD will adopt these cutting-edge transportation technologies to benefit our southern Nevada community by reducing emissions, improving air quality, and reducing environmental impacts,” Jara said.
The district will allocate about $9.38 million to replace 25 diesel-powered buses that are now more than a decade old, with an additional $500,000 allocated toward charging infrastructure for the new buses.
Clark County is the largest school district in Nevada and the fifth largest in the country, serving about 300,000 students. It was one of nearly 400 school districts across the country to receive funding for electric school buses, according to a district news release.
The funds still must be approved by the Clark County School Board at an upcoming board meeting.
In a statement Wednesday, Christi Cabrera-Georgeson, deputy director of the Nevada Conservation League, said school buses can spew pollution into neighborhoods and can be harmful to children whose lungs are still developing.
“By electrifying school bus fleets, we are taking an important step in reducing tailpipe pollution and the risk of health impacts like asthma for thousands of children who ride the bus every day,” Cabrera-Georgeson said.
Contact Lorraine Longhi at 702-387-5298 or llonghi @reviewjournal.com. Follow her at @lolonghi on Twitter.