Tens of millions of dollars in grants are available to Colorado school districts seeking to replace diesel school buses with electric-powered, zero-emission alternatives.

Gov. Jared Polis, local leaders and representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency gathered at an Aurora elementary school on Wednesday to promote the electric school bus grants, urging school districts to take part in order to save money and reduce pollution.

“Electric school buses will help save schools across our state money, help clean our air and protect children’s health and safety,” Polis said. “We encourage school districts across Colorado to take advantage of this opportunity to lower operating costs and reduce reliance on expensive diesel buses to free up more money for better teacher pay and smaller class size.”

Applications are open now through Aug. 19 for the federal Clean School Bus Grant Program, allocating $500 million nationwide to fund the purchase of electric school buses. The Environmental Protection Agency said the grant program will invest $5 billion in zero-emission and low-emission school buses over the next five years. 

Colorado transportation projects granted nearly $46M in federal funding

Colorado also dedicated $65 million to its own statewide electric bus grant program through the passage of Senate Bill 193, signed into law in June. The applications and guidelines for the state program have not yet opened but are expected to be announced soon.

“The healthiest school bus is the one without a tailpipe,” said Janet McCabe, deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. “I applaud the state of Colorado for making clean school buses a priority and setting aside millions of dollars to help districts transition their fleets. Through our partnership with Colorado and funding made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can help every kid in Colorado have a healthy ride to school.”

The Environmental Protection Agency said air pollution from diesel vehicles is linked to asthma and other health problems in children, particularly impacting communities of color and tribal communities. Zero-emission and low-emission buses reduce air pollution and cost less for school districts to operate than diesel buses.

New contracts will help low-income families in Denver make their homes more energy efficient