Governor Bredesen Announces Grants to Three Middle Tennessee School Districts to Reduce School Bus Emissions

 

NASHVILLE – Governor Phil Bredesen announced grants today for three Tennessee school districts to retrofit school buses and reduce diesel emissions. The grant program is a collaborative pilot project between the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Department of Environment and Conservation.

 

“Reducing school bus emissions helps create a healthier environment for students and improves air quality for all Tennesseans,” said Bredesen. “I’m pleased we can assist these school districts in providing cleaner transportation as we continue to reduce diesel emissions in Tennessee.”

 

Williamson County Schools will receive $249,000 to retrofit approximately 34 school buses with diesel particulate filters and closed crankcase ventilation/filtration systems. The Franklin Special School District will receive $212,000 to retrofit approximately 21 school buses. Metro Nashville Public Schools will also receive a $250,000 grant for 19 school bus retrofits. 

 

“TDOT is pleased to work with the Department of Environment and Conservation to provide local schools with the opportunity to reduce harmful emissions in older diesel engines,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “What’s more, through this partnership the schools are not required to pay a matching fee to receive these funds.”

 

TDOT allocated federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) funds to cover 80 percent of the retrofit costs. CMAQ funding requires a 20 percent match, which is being provided by the Department of Environment and Conservation.

 

“This is an excellent program to help our schools provide cleaner transportation,” said Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke. “School bus retrofit devices are a cost-effective way to reduce the amount of diesel exhaust emitted into the air as well as in-cabin emissions that can affect sensitive students.”

 

School districts in Tennessee’s 16 air quality non-attainment or maintenance counties were eligible to apply for the grants. Three applicants applied and were accepted for the program. The school districts are not required to pay any matching fees.

 

Diesel particulate filters replace the muffler and collect fine particles as the exhaust gases pass through the filter. Particulate filters can reduce fine particle emissions by 80 percent to 90 percent. Closed crankcase filtration systems reroute and trap all of the pollution from the engine crankcase back into the engine, providing additional emission reductions from the engine.

 

The School Bus Diesel Retrofit Pilot Project is one of a series of TDOT grant projects that encourage private sector companies and government agencies to take voluntary actions to reduce emissions from older diesel engines. Grantees must implement a policy to reduce unnecessary engine idling, which lessens fuel consumption and decreases exhaust emissions. Grantees are also encouraged to use renewable fuels, such as biodiesel. Reducing petroleum fuel consumption and using more renewable fuels will be important strategies of the overall state energy plan being developed under Governor Bredesen’s Executive Order #54.

 

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