LASD receives state grant to help purchase new buses.

LASD receives state grant to help purchase new buses.

LANSING — Ludington Area School District is among eight school districts that have been awarded a grant from the Michgan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to purchase new school buses. The total of $626,573 in grants will be awarded to Fennville, Fowlerville, Hamilton, Hillsdale, Hopkins, Livonia, Ludington and Wayne-Westland – to help purchase 28 new school buses. The new buses will use either clean diesel or propane technology, which will reduce kids’ exposure to harmful exhaust fumes and particles from the buses while riding and when they are getting on and off.  It also keeps the fumes from getting indoors, where children spend most of their day, since exhaust can be drawn into buildings as doors open and close.

Diesel emissions from older buses may contribute to long-term damage to the environment and impact climate. The Michigan Department of Education recommends minimizing school bus idling time when parked to reduce students exposures to exhaust emissions.

Contaminants from diesel exhaust include more than 40 substances listed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as either Hazardous Air Pollutants or Criteria Pollutants (or precursors to Criteria Pollutants, such as Nitric Oxides and Nitrogen Dioxide, both components of Oxides of Nitrogen). Both Hazardous Air Pollutants and Criteria Pollutants have known adverse health impacts on humans.

EGLE recognizes the need to support healthy kids by promoting the use of cleaner fuels and technologies through the Michigan Clean Diesel Grant Program.

More than half of EGLE’s budget each year flows into Michigan communities in the form of grants, loans and other spending that supports local projects that protect public health and the environment, while spurring economic growth and creating jobs for Michigan workers in the process.

School districts that are interested in information about future diesel bus replacement opportunities should go to the Michigan Clean Diesel Program website atMichigan.gov/EGLECleanDiesel or email Debra S. Swartz, SwartzD@Michigan.gov.