Bend-La Pine Schools adding electric bus to fleet by summer, as replacements go green

(Update: adding video, comments from Bend-La Pine Schools transportation director)

Will be first of its kind east of the Cascades, thanks to grant from Pacific Power

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Bend-La Pine Schools typically replaces about 20 school buses every two years. That, of course, is not cheap. Fortunately, the district has received $1.1 million in grants to cover 35% of the cost. One of the buses it plans on purchasing will be the first of its kind east of the Cascades.

"It's wonderful,” Kim Crabtree, director of transportation for Bend-La Pine Schools, said Tuesday. “We have not been this successful in receiving grants in years. We have a replacement plan, and we plan on replacing their buses."

Crabtree said all buses with an engine older than 2007 were going to be replaced anyway by 2025. The goal is to move in a greener direction.

"We drive 8-9,000 miles a week,” she said. “So the cleaner-burning fuels are great for being around children and just our city."

The district just received word of a $125,000 rebate from the Environmental Protection Agency, which will go toward replacing five buses.

In total though, Bend-La Pine Schools received enough money to replace 19 buses: 13 fueled by diesel, five by propane and one electric bus, which Crabtree said will be the first of its kind east of the Cascades.

"It's like a little Christmas present in there,” Crabtree said as she removed the charging station from its packaging on Tuesday.

"We're really excited to have that come on board,” she added.

Beaverton had the first electric school buses in Oregon. They were introduced there in early February.

Crabtree said the electric buses cost about $400,000, which is almost double the price of a diesel or propane-powered bus.

The one Bend-La Pine Schools will purchase, though, is 100% funded by grant money from Pacific Power.

“It's kind of a test run, to see how well it will do here,” Crabtree said. “We've done a lot of research, and we think we'll be successful."

Crabtree hopes this electric bus will be the first of many in its fleet.

Here's the EPA's full news release:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday it expects to award $615,000 to replace or retrofit 29 older diesel school buses in eight Idaho, Oregon, and Washington school districts, including five Bend-La Pine Schools buses.

The funds are included in awards expected to go to 137 school bus fleets in 40 states, each of which will receive rebates through EPA's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funding. The new or retrofitted buses will reduce diesel pollutants that are linked to asthma and lung damage, better protecting health and air quality in communities across the country, the agency said.

“The rebates provide children with a safe and healthy way to get to school by upgrading older diesel engines in our nation’s school buses,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Through the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, EPA is equipping local school districts with cleaner-running buses, helping them along the route to healthier kids and communities.”

Here's the rest of the EPA's news release:

Applicants scrapping and replacing diesel buses with engine model years 2006 and older will receive rebates between $20,000 and $65,000 per bus, depending on the fuel type of the replacement bus. The 2020 DERA Rebates are the first round in which EPA is offering additional funds for alternative-fuel and electric bus replacements. This year, five fleets plan to replace 16 old diesel buses with electric buses.

School districts expected to receive DERA Rebates in the Pacific Northwest include:

    * Brown Bus Company, Nampa, Idaho: $200,000 to replace/retrofit 10 buses
    * Beaverton School District, Beaverton, Oregon: $190,000 to replace/retrofit nine buses
    * Bend/La Pine School District, Bend, Oregon: $125,000 to replace/retrofit five buses
    * Klamath Falls City Schools, Klamath Falls, Oregon: $20,000 to replace/retrofit one bus
    * Freeman School District, Rockford, Washington: $20,000 to replace/retrofit one bus
    * Goldendale School District, Goldendale, Washington: $20,000 to replace/retrofit one bus
    * Shelton School District, Shelton, Washington: $20,000 to replace/retrofit one bus
    * Tonasket School District, Tonasket, Washington: $20,000 to replace/retrofit one bus

EPA has implemented standards to make newer diesel engines more than 90 percent cleaner, but many older diesel school buses are still operating. These older diesel engines emit large amounts of pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, which are linked to instances of aggravated asthma, and other health effects or illnesses that can lead to missed days of work or school.

U.S. school buses collectively travel more than 4 billion miles each year, safely transporting more than 25 million school children every day. However, children are particularly vulnerable to toxic air pollution and exposure to untreated diesel exhaust can have negative health impacts. Fortunately, today’s diesel retrofit technologies can make older school buses much cleaner, which keeps kids healthy and safe. These technologies are cost-effective and have been verified by the EPA to reduce emissions of particulate matter, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide.

Since 2008, the DERA program has funded more than 1,300 projects across the country, reducing diesel emissions in more than 70,000 engines.