From the N.C. Volkswagen Settlement Program, $30.1 million will be distributed by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to fund 161 new school buses across the state, with the majority of the funding going toward new all-electric school buses. Some of the dirtiest diesel buses in the state, over 30 years old emitting more than 20 times the nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter of today’s clean buses, will be replaced by low- or zero-emission school buses.
More than $16.5 million will fund 43 electric school buses and associated charging infrastructure, providing a 100% reduction in diesel emissions and greenhouse gases for these projects. Grant recipients span across 84 counties and include public schools, charter schools, and a tribal school. 130 of the buses will be placed in rural counties, 80 of which were awarded to schools in the 37 historically under-resourced counties that DEQ targeted for additional outreach and support during the application process.
