Electrification Coalition Commends Biden Administration for Announcing Nearly $1 Billion For Electric School Buses

LionC-school bus

Contact: Noah Barnes, Electrification Coalition
nbarnes@electrificationcoalition.org, (202) 461-2371

WASHINGTON—Today, Vice President Kamala Harris and EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced that nearly $1 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law will be granted to school districts in all 50 states to purchase more than 2,400 electric school buses.

Electrification Coalition Executive Director Ben Prochazka released the following statement:

“Our national dependence on oil for transportation leads to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants that jeopardize our children’s health. Global oil markets are controlled by bad actors who manipulate price and supply. By contrast, electric school buses are powered by domestic energy, providing a cleaner, healthier ride to school for our kids. With significantly lower maintenance and costs to power the vehicles, electric school buses are also cheaper to operate, saving local school districts money.

“No vehicles are more critical to electrify than the school buses that expose our children to toxic emissions. On average, school buses only get seven miles per gallon of gasoline, and school buses use over 800 million gallons of diesel fuel each year, making them prime for electrification. Kids and parents can now breathe easier because clean school buses are coming to a school near you.

“This $1 billion, nearly twice what the EPA had planned to distribute in the first stage of this five-year program, is a critical investment in our future. The funding will lead to cleaner air for our kids and reduced operating costs for our schools while reducing oil’s negative impact on our national and economic security.

“The demand to electrify school buses is oversubscribed, with more than $4 billion in requests. While today’s announcement is a huge step forward, its clear that school districts in the U.S. are ready to get on the electric school bus! We look forward to working with school districts to support the implementation of these awards.

“This move is a win for kids, a win for schools, and a win for our nation.”

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About the Electrification Coalition: The Electrification Coalition (EC) is a national advocacy organization accelerating transportation electrification to reduce the monopoly oil has on our transportation and the associated national security risks. The EC drives adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) for consumers, freight, private sector fleets, and public sector fleets through policy advocacy and programs at the federal, state, and local levels. We work with a broad cross-section of stakeholders, from engaging with federal and state legislators on policy to collaborating with cities and businesses on electrifying buses and trucks, among many other activities. The EC is at the forefront of the urgent national shift to electric transportation. electrificationcoalition.org

Amy Malaki

Amy Malaki is the head of policy and sustainability at SkyNRG and SkyNRG Americas, pioneering global leaders in sustainable aviation fuel production and supply. Prior to SkyNRG, Amy was the associate director for the transportation portfolio at the ClimateWorks Foundation where she developed philanthropic investment strategies to advance a sustainable, equitable and low-carbon mobility system. She also pioneered the organization’s international aviation decarbonization strategy. Prior to that she focused on Asia business development at Better Place, a Silicon Valley electric vehicle network startup. She has a B.A. in Chinese and China studies from the University of Washington and an M.A. in international policy studies (energy and environment) from Stanford University.