NH Delegation Welcomes Nearly $3 Million from EPA’s Clean School Bus Program for New Hampshire School Districts
(Washington, DC) — U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and U.S. Representative Annie Kuster (NH-02) welcomed an announcement from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that New Hampshire will receive $2,765,000 from the bipartisan infrastructure law to purchase new electric school buses. The grants will help Henniker and Rumney schools purchase a total of seven clean school buses that will accelerate the transition to zero emissions vehicles and produce cleaner air in and around schools and communities.
The grants mark another significant distribution of federal funds from the bipartisan infrastructure law, which Senators Shaheen and Hassan helped negotiate, and Representative Kuster supported. These latest awards come from the first $1 billion allocation of a five-year, $5 billion program created by the law to spur investment in clean transportation for our nation’s schools. The aim of the program is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cut costs for schools and better protect children’s health. The investment will also drive demand for American-made batteries and vehicles, boost domestic manufacturing and create good-paying jobs.
“As a lead negotiator of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, investments like this are exactly what I had in mind to transform and modernize our transportation sector,” said U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen. “I’m thrilled to see those efforts come to fruition through world-class infrastructure improvements in New Hampshire, including the new electric school buses for Henniker and Rumney Schools. These buses are a win-win for our economy and the sustainability of our environment by giving us cleaner air, reducing health risks for children and often providing lower fuel and maintenance costs. These clean buses are critical steps forward towards building a climate-resilient economy.”
“As climate change continues to threaten our environment and economy, we must invest in clean energy technology,” said U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan. “I am pleased that the Henniker and Rumney school districts will be able to purchase new electric school buses through the bipartisan infrastructure law, which I was proud to help negotiate. These new buses will help lower costs for the school district and are good for the environment. I look forward to continuing to invest in our clean energy economy and make sure that New Hampshire schools and towns have the support and resources that they need.”
“It’s exciting to see our local schools helping to lead the way in cutting emissions and working to address the impacts of climate change,” said U.S. Representative Annie Kuster. “I’m proud to have advocated for these resources in the bipartisan infrastructure law that will allow our school districts to purchase clean, electric school buses. This transition is good for the health of our children, our planet and our economy. I will continue pushing for investments in zero-emissions transportation to protect our children, communities, and the environment.”
“With the new Clean School Bus program, EPA is delivering significant funding to New Hampshire school districts for clean electric school buses, with a particular focus on reducing air pollution in historically-disadvantaged areas with priority needs,” said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. “These zero-emission vehicles will help provide cleaner and healthier air for school children, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.”
Senators Shaheen and Hassan spearheaded efforts to include investments for clean energy and climate resiliency. During bipartisan infrastructure law negotiations, Shaheen fought to include critical provisions, such as $65 billion to fund grid reliability and resilience measures in the legislation and key components of her energy efficiency legislation with Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) – the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness (ESIC) Act – that improves energy efficiency and climate resilience of buildings and industrial facilities, as well as invest in clean jobs. Senator Hassan successfully worked to strengthen energy efficiency programs in the bipartisan infrastructure law. The bipartisan package supports domestic battery energy storage development and deployment, technology needed to increase the use of renewable energy sources and eliminate reliability gaps throughout the day. These provisions build on Senator Hassan’s bipartisan Battery Storage Innovation Act – which was signed into law as part of the December government funding package. Senator Hassan also helped pass into law a bipartisan measure that provides a tax cut to help families lower their energy bills by making energy-efficient home upgrades such as updating an HVAC system or even windows or doors.
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