EPA offering rebates to replace or retrofit older diesel engines in school buses

The Environmental Protection Agency is accepting applications for approximately $7 million in rebates to public school bus fleet owners who replace or retrofit the older diesel engines in their buses.
Older diesel engines emit pollutants, including particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, that can cause health problems like asthma and lung damage. To combat these emissions, the EPA has enacted stricter standards for new diesel engines that makes them 90 percent cleaner, but many older engines are still in operation.
Through the Diesel Emission Reduction Act, the EPA offers several programs to provide diesel fleet operators, including school districts, with rebates to support efforts to remove older diesel engines from operation.
"Modernizing school bus fleets across the country with retrofits, replacements and idle reduction practices helps reduce children’s exposure to air toxics,” EPA Office of Air and Radiation Acting Assistant Administrator Janet McCabe said. “With the amount of time kids spend on buses, we need to protect them from the harm older diesel engines can cause.”
The EPA has run three rebate programs for school buses already, cleaning up more almost 25,000 buses across the country. The agency is accepting applications for the latest round of rebates until Nov. 1.