Federal recovery funding allows school bus upgrades

Federal recovery funding has led to the purchase of two new school buses in Libby and another in Troy, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality reported Tuesday.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded $1.73 million to Montana DEQ to replace polluting buses in the state with clean diesel school buses that meet 2010 standards. The replacement of 31 inefficient school buses in 22 school districts across the state served as a major part of the program.

In Lincoln County, the award for two new buses was $44,910 and $48,179, respectively, while in Troy, the award for one school bus was $45,976. The school districts are offering an exact match for each unit.

A new bus can run approximately $100,000, depending on the size, make and delivery charges. Provisions of the program require that replaced buses be pulled from service and sent for recycling.

Funding is provided through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act signed into law earlier this year and the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2005.

DEQ program manager Brian Spangler said 52 applications for replacement bus funding were processed.  Spangler said a selection team from the DEQ, the Office of Public Instruction and the Department of Public Health and Human Services reviewed and ranked the competitive applications.

Almost 2,800 school buses operate throughout Montana school districts, according to OPI. More than half are leased from private contractors. About 72,000 school children ride daily and 18 million bus miles are logged over the course of a school year.

On the Net: The Montana DEQ Recovery website for the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act is available at www.deq.mt.gov . For information about EPA’s clean diesel initiatives, visit www.epa.gov/cleandiesel  or www.epa.gov/region8/air/rmcdc.html .