Hawarden, Iowa — A Sioux County School District is one of ten from around Iowa to receive funds from the Environmental Protection Agency to allow them to replace an older diesel-powered school bus. According to the EPA, the awards were in conjunction of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day.
The funds are part of $11.5 million to replace 580 buses for 157 school bus fleets in 43 states and Puerto Rico, each of which will receive rebates through EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funding. The new buses will reduce pollutants that are linked to health problems such as asthma and lung damage.
In Sioux County, West Sioux Schools is receiving $20,000 toward the purchase of one new bus. The other Iowa school districts receiving the funds include: Akron-Westfield, Ballard of Huxley, Coon Rapids-Bayard, Guthrie Center, Humboldt, all of whom will receive $20,000; along with Sioux City which will receive $60,000 for three new buses; as well as Dallas Center-Grimes, Independence, and Marshalltown, which will each receive $20,000.
Since 2008, the DERA program has funded more than 1,000 clean diesel projects across the country, reducing emissions in more than 70,000 engines. A comprehensive list of the 2020 DERA school bus recipients can be found atwww.epa.gov/dera/awarded-dera-rebates.
