Schools
Rhode Island Could Get Electric School Buses Soon
School districts in RI are eligible to apply to get their bus fleets replaced with clean, zero-emission buses under the EPA's new program.
RHODE ISLAND — School districts across Rhode Island can now apply for funds to replace their current school bus fleets with new zero-emission ones, the state's Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announced Friday.
Districts have until August 19, 2022, to apply through the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean School Bus Program. The first round of funding can provide selected districts with as many as 25 new, energy-efficient school buses. The money awarded will also fund charging stations for the electric buses.
The DEM picked six Rhode Island districts — Central Falls, Foster, New Shoreham, Newport, Providence and Woonsocket — to get priority in the selection process due to their status as low income, rural or Tribal districts.
Find out what's happening in Across Rhode Islandfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The five-year, $5 billion investment is part of President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law in November 2021.
This is the Clean School Bus Program's first funding race, but the EPA will run the same competition each year for the next five years.
Find out what's happening in Across Rhode Islandfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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