Arlington Awarded $326K Grant For Electric School Buses

ARLINGTON, MA — Arlington has been awarded a $326,000 grant through the Environmental Protection Agency to replace two of its older diesel school buses with new model 2022 battery electric buses.

In addition to funding the new buses, the grant will finance the purchase and installation of their charging stations, furthering its commitment to replacing its municipal fleet with electric vehicles.

"The district is thrilled to be able to improve the air quality and climate impact of our public-school buses by replacing two of them with new electric buses," Superintendent Elizabeth Homan said in a statement. "We are looking forward to beginning our transition to a cleaner and more sustainable future with the support of the EPA."

Last year, Arlington received a grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to replace an existing diesel school bus with an all-electric drive train. Electrification of the municipal fleet is a key part of the town's Net Zero Action Plan, which calls for the complete transition to zero-emission vehicles by no later than 2030.

Electrification of the municipal fleet will help reduce greenhouse gas pollution from on-road transportation, which represents nearly 36 percent of overall greenhouse gas pollution according to an inventory conducted for the Net Zero Action Plan, according to a town press release.

"Replacing old diesel vehicles with new electric ones delivers valuable health benefits to Massachusetts communities, by reducing exposure to ambient air pollution, and supports the Commonwealth's greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts, since the transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts," MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg said. "The Commonwealth is excited to see Arlington take this step to begin the transition to an electric school bus fleet."

The award is part of more than $77 million in Diesel Emissions Reduction Projects that the EPA awarded nationally. The DERA Program funds grants and rebates that protect human health and improve air quality by reducing harmful emissions from diesel engines. Since the start of the DERA program in 2008, EPA has awarded over $1 billion in grants and rebates to modernize the nation's diesel fleet and speed the turnover to cleaner on- and off-road heavy-duty trucks and equipment.

Arlington's School Department and Department of Planning and Community Development collaborated on the grant submission. The town's former energy manager, Ken Pruitt, led the effort, with the support of Transportation Director Steve Angelo.