(The Center Square) – The federal government plans to give Michigan schools $25 million in taxpayer funds to transition to electric buses.
Through the 2023 Clean School Bus Program, Michigan will receive 104 electric buses at 27 school districts across the state. The program is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which will distribute $5 billion nationwide over the course of five years to replace diesel buses with zero-emission ones.
Grand Rapids Public Schools and Kent Intermediate School District will both add 15 buses to their fleets, through respective $5.18 million and $3.08 million grants. Trenton Public Schools were awarded $2 million for 10 buses, while Ludington Area Schools received $1.2 million for six buses.
Other schools receiving buses include Allen Park Public Schools (five), Lansing Public Schools (five), Ann Arbor Public Schools (four), Kentwood Public Schools (four), Stockbridge Community Schools (four), Anchor Bay School District (three), Comstock Public Schools (three), Saline Area Schools (three), The Dearborn Academy (three), Cass City Public Schools (two), Chippewa Valley Schools (two), Three Rivers Community Schools (two), Troy School District (two), Woodhaven-Brownstown School District (two), Au Gres-Sims School District (one), Brown City Community Schools (one), Pellston Public Schools (one), Northville Public Schools (one), Southfield Public School District (one), Traverse City Area Public Schools (one) and Vanderbilt Area Schools (one).
Two additional districts are being considered. They have been “tentatively selected,” meaning they were chosen by the EPA, but haven’t filled out all necessary paperwork yet. These include Lamphere Public Schools, with two potential buses, and North Adams-Jerome Public Schools, with five potential buses.
Michigan first received funding for electric school buses through the EPA in 2019. Since the start of the program, the state has added more than 200 electrified buses to its public schools, not including this year’s funding.
In addition to the federal EPA dollars, the state announced last week $125 million in state funding to add more electric buses to their public school districts.
