Nine Georgia school districts get millions more for electric buses

Clayton, Douglas and Hall counties are among nine school districts in Georgia to be awarded millions from the latest bucket of federal money intended to replace the nation’s diesel and gas-powered school buses with cleaner vehicles.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday the recipients of $900 million in funding for “clean” buses — mostly electric, some propane — part of a five year, $5 billion program created by the bipartisan infrastructure law.

“It’s about the bigger picture,” said EPA administrator Michael Regan in a call with reporters. “We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nation’s leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future.”

Regan said with the latest funding, the program has provided about $3 billion so far to buy approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses in more than 1,000 communities nationwide. In Georgia, most of the districts receiving funding in this wave of grants are in rural parts of the state. The other county school districts receiving funds in this wave are: Atkinson, Baldwin, Brooks, Jeff Davis, Madison and Oglethorpe.

In most places, those buses will replace diesel- or gasoline-powered vehicles. Diesel and gasoline are both derived from crude oil — a fossil fuel that releases carbon and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere when burned.

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

For years, diesel has been favored for heavy vehicles like trucks and buses because it packs more energy per gallon than gasoline, which is more refined. But diesel burns dirtier than gas, making its exhaust more harmful to human health, particularly for children whose lungs are still developing. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified diesel engine exhaust as a carcinogen.

The biggest beneficiary in Georgia in this wave of funding is the Clayton County School District, which is slated to receive $8.7 million in this latest round. That’s on top of $9.8 million it received in the first round of federal funds. The school board also kicked in $2.9 million for charging infrastructure and Georgia Power provided some material support, according to the district’s executive director of transportation, Denise Hall.

Hall said the district had 467 buses prior to receiving funding from the EPA. She did not respond to a question about how many new electric buses they have purchased so far, but said they have installed 28 fast chargers and plan to have electric buses in service for the upcoming school year.

Hall said the district does not have a specific goal of completely electrifying its bus fleet, but will find “balance.”

“This process is new to all and together we are training staff, identifying strengths and weaknesses, in addition to staying focused on providing the best transportattion for our scholars,” Hall said in a statement provided by a district spokeswoman.

Baldwin County Schools, which includes Milledgeville in central Georgia, will get $2 million. Eric Little, transportation director for the Baldwin district, said this would be the first time the system has received funding for electric buses and charging infrastructure.

Currently, the schools’ fleet consists of 63 buses, 61 of which run on diesel and two on gas. The district hopes to buy six electric buses and charging infrastructure.

“My goal for the district is to hopefully obtain a mixed fleet of buses, while envisioning using electric buses on as many routes as feasible within the current operating range,” Little said in an email. “[T]his would be the first step in the direction of operating a cleaner bus fleet.”

The federal push for electrification also could provide a big boost to an iconic Georgia company. Fort Valley-based Blue Bird, one of the top school bus manufacturers, makes electrified and propane-powered models. According to its most recent annual report, Blue Bird said it sold nearly two-thirds of all alternative powered school buses from its fiscal year 2014 through fiscal year 2023. Last fiscal year, Blue Bird opened its Electric Vehicle Build-up Center in Fort Valley to meet increasing demand for electric buses.

Nine Georgia school districts received funds in the latest round of federal grants to purchase electric and alternative-fueled buses:

Atkinson County: $210,000

Baldwin County: $2 million

Brooks County: $315,000

Clayton County: $8.7 million

Douglas County: $5 million

Hall County: $625,000

Jeff Davis County: $1.7 million

Madison County: $175,000

Oglethorpe County: $100,000

This coverage is supported by a partnership with Green South Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners. You can learn more and support our climate reporting by donating at ajc.com/donate/climate/

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