$500 Million Investment Available for Arizona & Tribal School Districts to Apply for Clean School Bus Program from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law led by Sinema and shaped by Kelly provides $500 million for school districts and tribal schools to apply for and replace Arizona’s fleet of school buses with clean, zero-emission buses

Arizona Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly announced that $500 million is now available for Arizona school districts, including those in tribal communities, to apply for clean school buses from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law led by Sinema and shaped by Kelly.

The $500 million in available investments comes as the first round of funding from the historic $5 billion allocated in the Senators’ bipartisan infrastructure law for low and zero-emission school buses over the next five years.

“Our bipartisan infrastructure law makes a once-in-a-generation investment in electric vehicles – making our air cleaner and creating good-paying jobs. Glad to see this first round of funding become available for Arizona schools, reducing emissions across our state and the entire country,”said Sinema, co-author and lead negotiator of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law.

“The funding from our bipartisan infrastructure law has the potential to upgrade Arizona school buses, help make our air cleaner, and create good-paying jobs all while getting students to school safely and efficiently,”said Kelly.

“When I was the Director of the Maricopa County Asthma Coalition in the mid-2000s, I witnessed first-hand the impacts diesel buses have on children first hand.  I watched repeatedly children have severe asthma attacks just waiting for their school bus.  In fact, I had to carry my own inhaler just to be in the vicinity of the buses.  I am excited about the transition to zero emission school buses because it will protect the health of children riding school buses and help keep the air clean around our schools and neighborhoods.  There’s nothing more important than our children’s and our grandchildren’s health, and future,”said Hazel Chandler, Moms Clean Air Force.

The available funds present an opportunity for Arizona school districts, tribal schools, and other eligible school bus operators to transition the state’s fleet of diesel-powered school buses to clean, low or zero-emission buses made in the United States, curbing harmful emissions and expanding economic opportunity. Eligible applicants for the program include public school districts (including charter schools), eligible contractors that sell clean school buses to school bus owners, nonprofit school transportation associations, and Tribes, tribal organizations, and tribally controlled schools responsible for the purchase of school buses. Entities interested in applying should do so here.

The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law makes the largest investment in clean energy transmission and electric vehicle infrastructure in U.S. history, electrifying thousands of school and transit buses across the country, bolstering critical materials supply chains, improving energy efficiency, and building out a national network of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Sinema and Kelly secured $11.3 million in the bipartisan infrastructure law for Arizona this year alone to build electric vehicle charging stations across the state.

The infrastructure law was supported by groups including The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, The National Association of Manufacturers, The AFL-CIO, The National Retail Federation, The Bipartisan Policy Center, North America’s Building Trades Unions, the Outdoor Industry Association, The American Hotel and Lodging Association, The National Education Association, as well as hundreds of mayors across all 50 states.