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Dear John,Â
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Exciting Earth Week news—newly introduced federal legislation, the Clean Commute for Kids Act, will provide $25 billion in funding for electric school buses!
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ELPC has played a pivotal role in advocating for electric school buses across the Midwest since the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal of 2016. This significant federal support for zero-emission school buses can speed up replacing half of America’s dirty diesel buses, helping children and their communities breathe cleaner air while fighting climate change.Â
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School buses are the largest form of public transportation in our country, transporting more than 25 million children each day. Five Midwest states alone (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Minnesota) have nearly 4 million children riding on 86,800 school buses. Electric school buses would benefit the children who ride them, the drivers, and reduce pollution in all the neighborhoods where they travel.
Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) electric school buses, like the new one pictured above in Pekin, IL, can utilize bidirectional charging stations and improved software to contribute to a more resilient energy grid. They can store energy during low-usage times and send energy back to the grid when needed!
With President Biden’s call for rapid electrification of at least 20% of our nation’s school bus fleet in his American Jobs Program and new federal legislation, we can accelerate the rollout of electric school buses across the Midwest and our country. We must ACT NOW to ensure a clean ride for kids.
Thank you for your support.Â
Susan Mudd
Senior Policy Advocate
Environmental Law & Policy Center
P.S. Donations made this week will be doubled thanks to our $25,000 Earth Week Match.Â
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