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Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come; NYC music school teachers strike after union negotiations break down; Ohio advocates push for inclusive policies during Black History Month; Health experts recommend sunshine, socializing to cure 'winter blues.'

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Federal workers tasked with securing elections from foreign interference are placed on leave, parents' organizations reject dismantling Dept. of Education, and the Congressional Black Caucus presses discussions on slavery reparations.

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Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

$12 million in EPA rebates for clean school buses in Tennessee

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Wednesday, June 26, 2024   

Some Tennessee school districts are among 41 in the Southeast receiving funding from the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean School Bus rebate program.

Created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the program invests $5 billion through 2026 to replace older, diesel school buses with cleaner alternatives.

Dory Larsen, senior electric transportation program manager at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, said the rebate program transforms how school districts transport the state's most precious residents.

"In the United States, transportation and electricity generation are the leading sources of both unhealthy air and also pollutants that cause climate change," Larsen pointed out. "This amount of funding coming to Tennessee is $12 million, coming to several school districts to bring 37 electric school buses."

Larsen noted eight districts got EPA funding to order their electric school buses and charging infrastructure, which is crucial for under-resourced districts. The buses are set to roll out for the 2025 school year. Across the Southeast, more than 300 electric buses will be deployed, part of 3,400 nationwide.

Larsen emphasized kids who ride electric buses to school are getting a healthier trip, since the buses are zero-emission and do not have a tailpipe.

"We know that diesel exhaust exposes children to dangerous pollution that can impact their developing lungs, their well-being," Larsen explained. "Studies have shown that it impacts school attendance and even academic performance."

Larsen added electric school buses have less than half the greenhouse gas emissions of diesel or propane-burning buses, which helps lower the risk of a warming planet.


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