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Department of Ecology News Release - January 22, 2009
09-021
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) will help eight school districts buy new, less-polluting school buses.
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. Using cleaner buses protects children from harmful toxics in diesel exhaust.
The eight selected districts plan to use grant money to help buy a total of nine 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.
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.
“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,” said Stuart Clark, manager of Ecology’s Air Quality Program.
“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.
Here is an alphabetical list of counties, school districts and the number of buses that Ecology will help fund.
Chelan: Cashmere (1)
Island: South Whidbey (2)
King: North Shore (1)
Pierce: Carbonado (1)
Skagit: La Conner (1)
Spokane: Freeman (1); Liberty (1)
Whitman: LaCrosse (1)
In late 2008, Ecology provided grants to 21 school districts to buy a total of 34 new buses. Those districts were Bridgeport, Concrete, Davenport, Deer Park, Ferndale, Grand Coulee Dam, Hoquiam, Longview, Loon Lake, North Mason, North Shore, Oak Harbor, Orondo, Port Angeles, Quincy, Skamania, Wapato, Washougal, Washtucna, White Pass, and Wishram.
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Media Contact: Seth Preston, Ecology communications manager, 360-407-6848; 360-584-5744 cell; spre461@ecy.wa.gov
See how Ecology is reducing diesel emissions: www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/cars/diesel_exhaust_information.htm
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
