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California awarded $135 million for electric buses, trucks
An electric school bus is charging at Grant Union High School in Sacramento.
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Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr.
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CalMatters
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The Biden administration today awarded $135 million to help California communities clean up air pollution and combat climate change by replacing diesel and gas-powered buses and trucks with electric vehicles.
President Joe Biden is rushing to allocate funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, widely regarded as his flagship effort to combat climate change, before his term ends. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to pull back any “unspent” funds authorized by the 2022 legislation.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded a total of $735 million to 70 applicants nationwide. About 70% of the funding will support the purchase of clean school buses, mostly powered by electricity.
Trucks and buses are among the largest sources of smog and soot in California. Diesel exhaust is a known cause of cancer, and trucks pollute many neighborhoods, especially near ports and warehouses. Under a California mandate, starting in 2036, no new fossil-fueled medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks can be sold in California, and by 2042, large companies must convert their trucks to zero-emission models.
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The EPA chose 13 California applicants to help purchase 455 zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles powered by batteries.
The largest California recipient is the South Coast Air Quality Management District, responsible for regulating air pollution in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The agency will use $24.8 million to electrify school buses and $33.9 million to replace work trucks, such as step vans and box trucks, with electric models. In addition, the Los Angeles Unified School District was awarded $20.4 million for clean bus upgrades.
Oakland received $27 million, including $10.5 million for a joint Port of Oakland and United Parcel Service project to introduce battery-powered trucks, $1.45 million for the city’s municipal fleet electrification and $15.1 million for school bus upgrades.
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District also secured $8.9 million to electrify heavy-duty vehicles, which will help address the region’s severe air pollution. Transit systems in Bakersfield and Pasadena also received funds, along with CalTrans, the Oxnard School District and the cities of Santa Monica and Pico Rivera.
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