The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) just announced $6.2 million funding under their newly expanded Clean School Bus Programme. The Clean School Bus Programme open now will provide grants to public and charter schools as well as school transportation companies statewide to install exhaust retrofits as well as replace older diesel school buses with new school buses. One of those options includes replacement of older buses with Autogas vehicles.

The Propane Council of Texas welcomes this new opportunity to put cleaner school buses on Texas roads. According to the EPA, diesel exhaust is exceptionally harmful to children because their lungs are not fully developed. Not only that, but these older diesel buses produce higher amounts of NOx, which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to smog, ground level ozone and is associated with adverse health effects.

“Texas is home to over 26,000 pre-2007 diesel school buses. If school districts would replace all the pre-2007 school buses, Texas could reduce NOx by 7.5M pounds a year,” said Propane Council of Texas Executive Director, Bill Van Hoy.

School districts can replace a pre-2007 school bus with Autogas school bus and get between $36,500 -$52,500 dependent on the passenger capacity. Funding is first come, first serve with a limit of funding 5 school buses per district. For more information, please check this link.

14 February 2018