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Department of Ecology News Release - November 21, 2008
08-306
OLYMPIA – School districts throughout the state will buy more than the 30 new, less-polluting school buses with help from the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology).
Ecology provides up $20,000 for each school bus from School Bus Replacement Grant funds. The money helps pay to replace the oldest and most heavily polluting diesel school buses in the state.
"Thanks to support from Gov. Chris Gregoire and the Legislature, Ecology has provided nearly $29 million in the past five years to help school districts add pollution controls on buses and buy new, cleaner-running buses," said Stuart Clark, manager of Ecology's Air Quality Program. "Since some of the oldest, most-polluting buses cannot be fitted with modern air pollution controls, those buses will be retired and replaced with new, ultra-clean models."
"That's important because diesel emissions from school buses pose a health threat to people who breathe them, especially children. We know that diesel exhaust increases asthma, lung and heart disease, and lung cancer," Clark said.
Overall, school buses are the safest way to transport children to and from school. The Washington Clean School Bus Program is working to ensure that the state also has one of the nation's cleanest fleets.
In this grant cycle, 33 school districts applied for money. The 21 selected districts plan to buy a total of 34 new buses.
This money comes from the state Motor Vehicle Account and from a hazardous substance fee. Washington voters created the fee when they passed Initiative 97 — the Model Toxics Control Act — in 1988. The money is dedicated specifically to environmental cleanups and protection in our state.
Here is an alphabetical list of counties, school districts and the number of buses that Ecology will help fund.
Adams: Washtucna (1)
Clallam: Port Angeles (3)
Clark: Washougal (3)
Cowlitz: Longview (3)
Douglas: Bridgeport (1); Orondo (1)
Grant: Grand Coulee Dam (2); Quincy (1)
Grays Harbor: Hoquiam (1)
Island: Oak Harbor (3)
King: North Shore (2)
Klickitat: Wishram (1)
Lewis: White Pass (1)
Lincoln: Davenport (1)
Mason: North Mason (1)
Skagit: Concrete (1)
Skamania: Skamania (1)
Spokane: Deer Park (2)
Stevens: Loon Lake (1)
Whatcom: Ferndale (3)
Yakima: Wapato (1)
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Media Contact: Seth Preston, Ecology communications manager, 360-407-6848; 360-584-5744 cell; spre461@ecy.wa.gov
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
