Clean School Bus Program

 

Title XI, Section 71101 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (or The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or (BIL), Public Law 117-58 amended section 741 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16091) to authorize EPAS Clean School Bus Program to award grants, contracts, and rebates for the replacement of existing school buses with clean school buses and zero-emission school buses. BIL appropriates $ 5 billion for the program over five Federal fiscal years (FY 22-26). The objective of this assistance is, to the maximum extent practicable, achieve nationwide deployment of clean school buses and zero-emission school buses and to ensure a broad geographic distribution of awards. The CSB Program will fund the replacement of existing school buses with cleaner buses that result in better air quality on the bus, in bus loading areas, and throughout the communities in which they operate. Funding Priorities - Fiscal Year 2023: The Clean School Bus Program works to reduce pollution emitted from existing school buses by replacing them with low and zero-emission school buses. Priority will be given to projects which propose to replace buses that serve high-need local education agencies; rural school districts; Bureau of Indian Affairs-funded school districts; and school districts receiving basic support payments for children who reside on Indian land. Further priority will be given to applicants that leverage additional external funds to support project activities. In addition, evaluation points may be given to projects which result in outcomes that benefit affected communities, those that engage local communities with respect to the design and performance of the project, those that serve Ozone or PM2.5 nonattainment or maintenance areas, those that demonstrate that project results and benefits are sustainable and can be continued after project completion, and those that demonstrate a plan to prepare the workforce for the project. For FY2023, projects will be funded under the 2023 CSB Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Active 66.045 Environmental Protection Agency B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2023 For a list of awarded grants, visit https://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus. Energy Policy Act (42 USC 1609) as amended by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (PL 117-58) Section 71101 Eligible recipient means 1 or more local or State governmental entities responsible for providing school bus service to 1 or more public school systems or the purchase of school buses; an eligible contractor; a nonprofit school transportation association; or an Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C.5304)), Tribal organization (as defined in that section), or tribally controlled school (as defined in section 5212 of the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988 (25 U.S.C.2511)) that is responsible for providing school bus service to 1 or more Bureau-funded schools (as defined in section 1141 of the Education Amendments of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 2021)) or the purchase of school buses. For certain competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, the Agency may limit eligibility to compete to a number or subset of eligible applicants consistent with the Agency's Assistance Agreement Competition Policy. Owners of eligible school buses. Both publicly owned fleets and privately owned fleets may benefit, but private fleets may be limited in their ability to apply directly for funds. Not applicable. Preapplication coordination is required. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Applicants, except in limited circumstances approved by the Agency, must submit all initial applications for funding through Grants.gov. For competitive awards, EPA will review and evaluate applications in accordance with the terms, conditions, and criteria stated in the competitive announcement. Competitions will be conducted in accordance with EPA policies/regulations for competing assistance agreements. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines From 120 to 180 days. Approximately 180 days after the closing date of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Assistance agreement competition-related disputes will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedures published in 70 FR (Federal Register) 3629, 3630 (January 26, 2005). Copies of these procedures may also be found at: https://www.epa.gov/grants/grant-competition-dispute-resolution-procedures. Disputes relating to matters other than the competitive selection of recipients will be resolved under 2 CFR 1500 Subpart E, as applicable. Generally, EPA incrementally funds these cooperative agreements. Approval of subsequent funding increments is dependent on satisfactory project progress, continued relevance of the projects to EPA's priorities, availability of funds, and Agency policy on the cooperative agreement process. The evaluation and selection criteria for competitive awards under this assistance listing will be described in the competitive announcement. Grants, contracts, and rebates can be made available to eligible recipients to replace existing school buses with either clean school buses or zero-emission school buses. A “clean school bus” is a school bus that reduces emissions and is operated entirely or in part using an alternative fuel or is a zero-emission school bus. A “zero-emission school bus” is a school bus that produces zero exhaust emission of any air pollutant and any greenhouse gas. Half of the total funding available annually is dedicated to zero-emission school buses while the other half is for clean school buses. Performance Reports: Reporting requirements shall be determined at the time of grant award. Grants and cooperative agreements are subject to inspections and audits by the Comptroller General of the United States, the EPA Office of Inspector General, other EPA staff, or any authorized representative of the Federal government. Reviews by the EPA Project Officer and the Grants Specialist may occur each year. Recipients must keep financial records, including all documents supporting entries on accounting records and to substantiate changes in grants available to personnel authorized to examine EPA recipients grants and cooperative agreements records. Recipients must maintain all records until 3 years from the date of submission of final expenditure reports as required by 2 CFR 200.334. If questions, such as those raised because of audits remain following the 3-year period, recipients must retain records until the matter is completely resolved. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is . EPA may include voluntary and mandatory matching requirements. These requirements may vary based on whether the eligible recipient’s application qualifies for prioritizations listed in the statute.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. Assistance agreements may be incrementally (annually) or fully funded. The period of performance is up to three years. EPA encourages potential applicants to communicate with the appropriate EPA Regional Office listed in the competitive announcement. Kayla Steinberg
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. (Mail Code: 6406A)
Washington, DC 20460 USA
steinberg.kayla@epa.gov
Phone: 202-564-7658 https://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus 68-0103-0-1-304 (Project Grants (Discretionary)) FY 22$0.00; FY 23 est $400,000,000.00; FY 24 est $400,000,000.00; FY 21$0.00; - For FY 2023, EPA is developing this program and will determine the range and average of financial assistance. 2 CFR 200 and 1500 (EPA Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards; 40 CFR Part 33 (Participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in United States Environmental Protection Agency Programs). Fiscal Year 2023 Projects include the replacement of diesel and non-diesel internal combustion engine school buses with battery electric, compressed natural gas (CNG), or propane drivetrain school buses, along with the installation of the associated charging infrastructure for electric school buses. Eligible vehicles include Class 3 – 7+ school buses, and eligible charging infrastructure includes installation between the electrical meter and charging port, such as charging equipment, design and engineering, installation costs, and related intelligent equipment or software designed to monitor bus and infrastructure performance.