All News Releases By Date

South Carolina Department of Education to receive $244,500 for clean school buses

Release Date: 03/17/2008
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, [email protected]

(Atlanta, Ga. – March 17, 2008) As part of EPA’s Clean School Bus USA program, EPA will present a grant for $244,500 to the South Carolina Department of Education. The Department of Education, with the cooperation of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), will install anti-idling devices and retrofit crankcase filtration systems on 500 school buses throughout the state. The grant is one of three being awarded in the Southeast this year, totaling $680,000.

This year, EPA nationally awarded 43 grants totaling $7.5 million through the National Clean Diesel Campaign and the Clean School Bus USA program, to school districts, air quality districts and other entities to help reduce school bus diesel emissions through a variety of retrofit and alternative fuel campaigns. The goal of the Southeast Diesel Collaborative is to improve air quality by encouraging the use of clean, renewable energy and by reducing diesel emissions from existing engines and equipment from the agriculture, heavy construction and on-road sectors. For more information visit the Southeast Diesel Collaborative website at www.southeastdiesel.org.

WHO: EPA Regional Administrator Jimmy Palmer; SC Superintendent of Education Dr. Jim Rex; SC Dept of Health and Environmental Control Deputy Commissioner Bob King; SC Bureau of Air Quality Chief Myra Reece; SC Bureau of Air Quality Assistant Chief Renee Shealy and SC Dept of Education Office of Transportation Director Don Tudor

WHAT: Clean School Bus USA Grant

WHEN: March 19, 2008 at 11:30 A.M.

WHERE: SC DHEC
Environmental Quality Control Administration Building
77 Business Center
101 Business Park Blvd.
Columbia, SC