Remember riding in the bus to school as a kid? For me, the smell of diesel, no seat belts, and worn out seats resonates deeply. In our modern world, times are changing, and it's time to upgrade the school bus to something new, more efficient, and safe.

MT Department of Environmental Quality Offers Grants

The Montana DEQ is now looking for school districts across the state to submit an application for a grant toward replacing older diesel school buses. These grants are to be used to upgrade to a newer diesel, gas, propane or even electric bus models to help do our part in reducing air pollution.

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Why replace the old buses?

Many school buses across the state are quite old, and are far from modern day pollution and safety standards. Mainly, these old diesel buses release significantly more nitrogen oxide into the air, which has been shown to lead to asthma and other respiratory illnesses in children and the elderly.

Montana DEQ's Energy Bureau Chief Dan Lloyd shared more details:

School districts statewide are encouraged to apply. We expect this to be a competitive grant process and look forward to helping districts purchase cleaner buses that reduce children’s exposure to harmful nitrogen oxide emissions.

The grants being offered up by the Montana DEQ are funded by the Environmental Protection Agency's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act program.

How can I help?

If your school district is interested, the MT DEQ requires grant applications to be submitted by November 15th, 2022. Click the button below for details on applying.

Are the school buses in your area in need? Be sure to share this with any school administrators or teachers you know, to ensure they are aware of the opportunity.

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