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Campbell County School Systems Awarded $341,000 Clean School Bus USA Grant

Release Date: 04/20/2006
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, [email protected]

(ATLANTA – April 20, 2006) As part of its Clean School Bus USA program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will present a grant for $341,000 to the Kentucky’s Campbell County School System to retrofit 55 buses with emission reduction technology, fuel the fleet with cleaner burning diesel fuel, and replace two older buses with new, clean diesel school buses. This initiative will be the first diesel retrofit project on school buses in the state of Kentucky. The grant is one of four being awarded in the Southeast this year, totaling $1.2 million.

“I strongly commend Campbell County for their participation in the Clean School Bus USA program,” said Jimmy Palmer, EPA Regional Administrator in Atlanta. “Reducing pollution from school buses helps improve local air quality and reduces children’s exposure to diesel exhaust.”

Superintendent Anthony Strong stated, "Preservation of our environment is something that we should all try to do as citizens. I am glad that we are able to do our part in making our community a better place to live and work."

"The air quality and health benefits of retrofitting and replacing old school buses are clear,” stated John Lyons, Director of the Kentucky Division for Air Quality. “The Division for Air Quality applauds the efforts of Campbell County Schools and EPA to do their share for cleaner air."

The grant is part of the Agency’s Clean School Bus USA program and will be used to install diesel particulate filters on the buses to reduce emissions. After the filters are installed, the buses will reduce emissions of fine particulates by about 75 to 85 percent and lower hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions by at least 60 percent. In addition, the diesel oxidation catalysts that will be installed on the buses will reduce emissions of fine particulates by at least 30 percent, hydrocarbons by at least 50 percent and carbon monoxide emissions by at least 30 percent. The district also plans to purchase ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel for use, ahead of the federally required deadline, which combined with biodiesel, will reduce particulate matter emissions from the buses by up to 10 percent. These emission reductions will improve air quality for the 13,000 students that attend school in Campbell County.

This year, EPA nationally awarded 37 grants totaling $7.5 million as part of the Clean School Bus USA program. The initiative encourages policies and practices to eliminate unnecessary school bus idling, install effective emission control systems on newer buses and replace the oldest buses with cleaner diesel or compressed natural gas-powered buses. The grant recipients are contributing an additional $13 million in matching funds and services.