TUSD Transportation To Receive Nearly $500K from EPA

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Estella Zavala, 225-6437
Posted on: February 15, 2006

TUSD transportation will be awarded with a Clean School Bus USA award totaling $493,003 by the Environmental Protection Agency during the Clean School Bus USA Grant Awards from 1 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Feb. 20 at El Presidio Park, 255 West Alameda Street, (West of Pima County Courthouse).

The EPA award will go towards the purchase of more than 19 new compressed natural gas (CNG) buses. TUSD was awarded the grant for its 12 years of experience with CNG buses, strong public-private partnerships, its commitment to idling reduction in its fleet and its piloting of the Arizona’s State Idle Reduction Program.

The purpose of the grant is to assist TUSD in updating the bus fleet, which travels an average of almost 5 million miles a year, with the cleanest buses possible. Currently, dedicated compressed natural gas buses are one of the cleanest options.

The overall goal is to replace the oldest 131 buses with new buses as soon as financially possible. Currently, TUSD has 308 school buses, five CNG buses, 34 buses using unleaded fuel and 269 diesel buses; 75 of the oldest have been retrofitted with oxidation-reduction catalysts from a previous Caterpillar private sector grant.

The goal of Clean School Bus USA is to reduce both children's exposure to diesel exhaust and the amount of air pollution created by diesel school buses. The initiative brings together partners from business, education, transportation and public health organizations to work toward reducing pollution from public school buses and making sure that school buses are not just the “ultimate carpool,” but also one of the cleanest ways for children to get to school. 

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