JANUARY 20, 2025|
Photo – School bus – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality is offering school districts over $1,000,000 of grant funding to replace aging school buses.
In 2016, the state’s Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, created the School Bus Replacement Program using money from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act and the 2016 Volkswagen Settlement.
DEQ Outreach Manager Keith Guille explained that the bus replacement program is designed to assist school districts in upgrading their older diesel school buses. Guille said DEQ covers 25% of the cost of a new school bus, while the Wyoming Department of Education pays the remaining amount.
The DEQ’s School Bus Replacement Program enables schools to upgrade their fleet with more reliable vehicles. In addition to reducing diesel emissions, Guille highlighted that the new buses are also safer.
Although improved safety is a consideration, Guille said the Department of Environmental Quality is primarily concerned about emissions. By replacing older, less efficient buses, DEQ is reducing pollution and enhancing the health of students.
Through its School Bus Replacement Program, DEQ is working to replace about 1,200 school buses across the state. Guille explained that even if schools do not participate in the program, the older buses will eventually be phased out as they reach the end of their operational lifespans.
Guille said districts may use the DEQ grant to replace buses that are between 15 and 20 years old. However, the Environmental Protection Agency mandates that diesel buses under 15 years old must be replaced with vehicles powered by clean energy.
Guille said the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality expects to have replaced nearly 250 buses across the state by the end of the annual grant cycle. With funding from the EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, DEQ is able to alleviate some of the financial burden on Wyoming’s school districts.
Guille thanked the Environmental Protection Agency and the Wyoming Department of Education for working together to improve air quality in the Cowboy State, and that he hopes the program continues long into the future.
