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Electrify School Bus Fleets

The EPA is offering a rebate to electrify school bus fleets. The Cape Cod Collaborative (CCC) services much of the Cape Cod school bus system. It would be helpful if other energy committees could further encourage CCC to take advantage of this opportunity. The following is a sample email provided by Wellfleet that can be adopted and sent to CCC by other towns:

Subject: EPA school bus initiative
To: <paulhilton@capecodcollaborative.org>

Dear Mr. Hilton

Since we last communicated in February, I have been made aware of a new EPA Clean School Bus Initiative. Have you heard of it? This federal program is offering rebates to replace older buses with clean school vehicles.

I recall that there were a few issues you were concerned about before considering such an endeavor, including community support, proper infrastructure and maintenance for electric vehicles, as well as the fact that you just replaced a number of older buses with propane-powered vehicles.

Nevertheless, as a spokesperson of a committee whose town you service, I want to encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. Our Energy and Climate Action Committee will be reaching out to our counterparts in adjoining towns to ask for their support in getting our school bus fleets to net zero emissions. We will also be reaching out to respective school committees.

I’m including the Clean School Bus initiative website for your reference. You will note that the town of Eastham is on the list of prioritized towns to receive rebate money. Towns with rural status are considered priority; non-priority municipalities are also encouraged to apply.

https://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus

If you think there’s a strong chance you may need to replace old school buses over the next five years, I encourage you to go this route.

Best regards

Suzanne Ryan-Ishkanian

Wellfleet Energy & Climate Action Committee

Permanent link to this article: http://wellfleetenergyandclimateaction.org/mitigation-activities/electrify-school-bus-fleets/