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Top News — Education — Community — Henrico government — Federal Government — Government — Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Tim Kaine — Mark Warner

Henrico Schools earns $2.9M in federal funding to buy zero-emission school buses

,   and  Citizen Staff Reports
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Henrico County Public Schools has been awarded $2.9 million in federal funding to replace 10 diesel buses with zero-emission buses. The money comes through the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program, which overall will provide more than $735 million to fund 70 projects in 27 states, three tribal nations and one territory that will result in the purchase of more than 2,400 zero-emission vehicles.

Henrico's projects aims to improve air quality for students, staff, and the community, reduce transportation costs, and leverage a public-private partnership with Highland Electric Fleets.

The EPA program, established under President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, was designed to replace existing internal combustion engine heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission alternatives. It also supports the development of clean vehicle infrastructure and provides training for workers to deploy these new technologies.

Emissions from heavy-duty vehicles contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and pose a particular health risk to children, older adults, individuals with pre-existing cardiopulmonary conditions, and those of lower socioeconomic status. The Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program will accelerate the adoption and deployment of eligible zero-emission Class 6 and 7 vehicles. Eligible replacements include battery-electric box trucks, cargo trucks, emergency vehicles, refuse/recycling haulers, school buses, shuttle buses, step vans, transit buses, utility vehicles, and other vocational vehicles. A small number of hydrogen fuel cell transit buses are also included.

In addition to Henrico, Roanoke City Public Schools ($16.7 million) and Fairfax County Public Schools ($12.9 million) also will receive money to purchase zero-emission school buses.

“We’re thrilled to see this funding going towards ensuring that Virginia’s students are headed to school in new and nonpolluting school buses,” U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia said in a joint statement. “Laws like our Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan infrastructure law continue to work together to make improvements that keep our air cleaner and our infrastructure stronger for generations to come.”