Vice President Harris Details Action Plan Progress, Announces Nearly $1 Billion from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Clean School Buses
Today, Vice President Harris will provide a six-month progress report on the Biden-Harris Action Plan for Building Better School Infrastructure, outlining a series of actions from across the Administration to upgrade our public schools with healthy, safe, sustainable facilities and transportation. In Seattle, Washington today, Vice President Harris and EPA Administrator Michael Regan will join schoolchildren, parents, district leaders, and community members to announce nearly $1 billion in rebate awards from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to replace existing aging school bus fleets with clean buses.
Since the Action Plan was first announced in April 2022, the Administration has secured new historic legislative accomplishments that build on progress that's been made to deliver safer, healthier, and more environmentally sustainable learning environments for America's children, while saving school districts money, creating good jobs, and combatting climate change. In addition to the clean school bus rebate awards, other actions announced today include upgrading school infrastructure, supporting clean energy in rural schools, and improving indoor air quality.
Signed nearly one year ago, President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has made transformational investments to deliver clean school buses to school districts across the nation. In addition, the recently signed Inflation Reduction Act includes $50 million to address air pollution in schools. And, the CHIPS and Science Act authorizes new and expanded investments in STEM education and training for K-12 to community college, undergraduate, and graduate education, and authorizes investments to expand the geographic and institutional diversity of research institutions.
Youth development studies have shown that students need safe and healthy school environments to learn and thrive. This includes the way they get to school: school buses safely transport more than 25 million children every day across America. However, diesel exhaust from buses produces particulate matter and other pollutants that can cause lung damage and aggravate asthma and other health problems in children. In addition, diesel exhaust exposure has been linked to increased school absences. Moreover, many schools rely on outdated heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems that may pose health risks to students and teachers. Studies also show that poor air quality inside classrooms hinders student concentration and performance, and can also increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools, which can threaten the in-person learning experience for students. Reducing this pollution will provide better health and educational outcomes - particularly in low-income communities and communities of color that have long faced the highest burdens of pollution and underinvestment.
Today's announcements reflect the Biden-Harris Administration's broader commitment to ensure that America's children have what they need to thrive. Key milestones and announcements outlined today include:
Clean School Buses: Today, Vice President Harris and Administrator Regan announced 391 rebate awards of nearly $1 billion from the President's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through EPA's Clean School Bus Program – the first installment of the $5 billion total that will be awarded over five years. The awards will go to school districts in all 50 states and Washington D.C., in addition to several U.S. territories and institutions serving federally recognized Tribes. The new awards will support the purchase of 2,468 buses, and 95% of these buses will be electric.
Additionally, EPA announced new details about the upcoming competitive grant program for Fiscal Year 2023, including information regarding priorities and eligibility. This new program design will leverage federal dollars to reduce electric bus prices, ensure equitable deployment, and encourage the expansion of electric bus manufacturing capacity.
Making Public Schools More Energy Efficient: This week, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced new initiatives through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and existing programs to lower energy costs for America's public schools, including through:
- Renew America's Schools Grants. DOE took the next step to administer $80 million in funding for its Renew America's Schools grant program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law by issuing the Notice of Intent. These grants will focus on high-impact improvements in rural and high-poverty school districts, innovative technology solutions, and innovative partnership and funding models that can build healthier, more energy efficient schools. This funding will be made available to public schools later this fall.
- Energy Champions Leading the Advancement of Sustainable Schools Prize (Energy CLASS Prize). DOE simultaneously launched the Energy CLASS Prize, where it will provide up to 25 school districts direct resources to staff and train administration and facilities personnel on strategic energy management, including project development and funding to advance school sustainability. The Energy CLASS Prize will provide a total of $4.5 million in awards, including $3.75 million for selected local educational agencies to fund energy management professionals-in-training and an additional $750k in technical support.
- Better Buildings and Better Climate Challenge. These leadership challenges encourage participants across market sectors to increase energy efficiency, lower costs, and reduce GHG emissions. As of 2021, K-12 Better Buildings Challenge partners have cumulatively saved $108 million in energy costs and reduced 0.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent since the Challenge was launched in 2011. To date, nine unique K-12 partners have achieved their goal of reducing energy use by 20% within 10 years.
- Promoting Efficient Schools. DOE recently launched the second round of its Efficient and Healthy Schools Campaign
