| EPA doles out $7
million in grants to help cut school bus exhaust Feb. 21 The federal government has announced $7 million in grants to 37 school districts to help reduce childrenīs exposure to harmful exhaust from school buses. The grants will help fund the cleanup of more than 500 tons of diesel emissions from 4,000 school buses nationwide, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Clean School Bus USA program encourages policies and practices to eliminate unnecessary school bus idling, the installation of effective emission control systems on new buses and the replacement of the oldest buses with cleaner diesel or compressed natural gas powered buses. The grant recipients are contributing an additional $13 million in matching funds and in-kind services. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson announced the grants in Arizona while visiting the Tucson Unified School District. Tucson is matching its $500,000 EPA grant with $6.5 million it raised toward the purchase of more than 60 new compressed natural gas buses. A list of all the school districts receiving the grants is available online at www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/demo_projects.htm#2005
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