New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced the award of nearly $32 million in grants to advance the state’s transition to zero-emission school buses.
The DEP has allocated more than $18 million through the second round of its Electric School Bus Grant Program, which will be used to purchase 53 electric school buses and 41 fast chargers.
Through the EV Charging Grant Program, the DEP also awarded $13.6 million for 26 public and private projects to install publicly accessible charging stations, located at or near town and retail centers, multi-unit housing, and transit hubs.
The Electric School Bus Grant Program is funded by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ (NJBPU) Clean Energy Fund. The legislation, authorized by Governor Phil Murphy in 2022, provided up to $45 million in funding over a three-year period to replace diesel school buses with battery-electric buses.
“The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New Jersey,” said Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette, in a statement. “These grant programs are advancing New Jersey’s long-term electric-vehicle emission reduction goals by replacing diesel school buses that emit harmful pollutants with clean electric buses and by expanding public and private charging infrastructure in our communities.”
Grant recipients will receive technical assistance through New Jersey Fleet Advisor to assist with the transition to zero-emission vehicles, in addition to a personalized Fleet Electrification Roadmap that will provide vehicle recommendations, cost projections, on-site infrastructure assessments, and more.
The funds will be distributed across the northern, central, and southern regions of New Jersey, including 11 in overburdened communities.
Anjuli Ramos, Director of the NJ Sierra Club, added, “We applaud the NJDEP for forging ahead with funding electric school buses. The 53 buses funded in year two will nearly double the state’s current zero-emission fleet. Most will serve overburdened districts, helping to reduce diesel pollution linked to high asthma rates among children.”
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