Basic Information
 Clean
School Bus USA is a public-private environmental partnership that seeks
to reduce children's exposure to air pollution from diesel school buses.
The program emphasizes three ways to reduce public school bus emissions
through anti-idling strategies, engine
retrofit and clean fuels as well as bus
replacement. The goal of Clean School Bus USA is to reduce both children's
exposure to diesel exhaust and the amount of air pollution created by
diesel school buses.
EPA is working aggressively to reduce pollution from new heavy-duty diesel
trucks and buses by requiring them to meet tougher and tougher emission
standards in the future. A new set of standards took effect starting with 2004 model year engines and a set of
even more stringent standards will take effect in 2007. At
that time, new heavy-duty vehicles will be up to 95 percent cleaner than
today's vehicles. It will take a long time for new vehicles to replace
the heavy-duty trucks and buses currently on the road because diesel engines
are durable and long lasting. Clean School Bus USA is designed to jump-start
the process of upgrading the nation's public school bus fleet so that
this generation of school children can reap the benefits of technologies
that are available now to reduce emissions. Consider:
- There are roughly 450,000 public school buses in the United States;
390,000 are powered by diesel fuel.
- New standards set by EPA will go into effect over the next 2 to 5
years resulting in cleaner bus engines. However, it will take time for
these new cleaner buses to replace the existing fleet of public school
buses.
- Children are vulnerable to the effects of diesel emissions which can
cause respiratory disease and exacerbate long-term conditions such as
asthma. Implementing EPA's Clean School Bus Program will result in substantial
health benefits including: fewer cases of lower respiratory symptoms
in healthy children; fewer cases of upper respiratory and asthma symptoms
in asthmatic children; and fewer cases of acute bronchitis.
- School buses that leave their engines idling while standing, often
very near schools, create indoor as well as outdoor air pollution problems.
- About 67% (260,000) of the diesel school buses were manufactured between
1990 and 2002. These buses can be made much cleaner by upgrading or
retrofitting their existing emission control systems.
- About 33% (129,000) of all diesel school buses are pre-1990 buses.
These buses are the heaviest polluters and are good candidates for early
replacement.
Clean School Bus USA calls together leaders from government, community,
business, education, and health care to achieve the goal of cleaning up
our nation's public school buses. Clean School Bus USA partners are lending
specific resources, know-how, and expertise to the campaign and are helping
EPA to formulate a comprehensive plan to address public school bus emissions.
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