Funding to Upgrade School Buses
Funding opportunities for schools to upgrade (retrofit) school-bus fleets to reduce diesel exhaust emissions.
The Texas Clean School Bus Program offers resources to Texas schools for upgrades that reduce the emissions of diesel exhaust from their school-bus fleets.
- Funds for upgrading school-bus fleets
- Who is eligible for funding
- Types of technologies available
- How to apply for grant funding
- Other funding opportunities
Funds for Upgrading School-Bus Fleets
Grants awarded through this program help schools purchase and install emissions-reduction technologies. The program will award funds to school districts and charter schools as reimbursement for the cost of eligible projects that reduce diesel-exhaust emissions.
See a listing of school districts that received reserved funding (PDF), (Help with PDF) in the August 2008 to December 2009 grant period.
Who is Eligible for Funding
Grants available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are limited to school districts or charter schools that are located in nonattainment or near-nonattainment counties of Texas. Private schools are not eligible for funding. Public school districts that lease buses are also eligible.
A diesel school bus proposed for retrofit must be used on a regular, daily route to and from a school and have at least five years of useful life remaining, unless the applicant agrees to remove the retrofit device at the end of the life of the bus and reinstall it on another bus.
Types of Technologies Available
Newer technology offers several options for cleaner-running school buses, including these items:
- a closed crankcase filtration system,
- a diesel particulate filters (PDF)
- a diesel oxidation catalyst (PDF), and
- a partial flow-through filter.
Costs range from approximately $800-$8,250 per device. School-bus emissions decrease by as much as 90 percent when these engine or exhaust retrofits are made. All technologies must be approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencies list of verified technologies or the California Air Resources Board's list of verified technologies.
To determine which devices are best suited for your school buses, please check the Environmental Protection Agency's list of vendors 
who sell retrofit devices.
How to apply for grant funding
The American Recovery and Reimbursement Act Application Period: March 8, 2010, to April 15, 2010.
The American Recovery and Reimbursement Act Project Completion Date: July 31, 2010
While there is not a limit on the amount of funding that can be applied for, the amount awarded is at the discretion of the TCEQ.
Get specific details by reading How to Apply for a Texas Clean School Bus Grant (PDF), (Help with PDF.) This document explains the steps you need to take, the deadlines, and the forms you need to complete.
See a list of forms to apply for Clean School Bus grants.
Other Funding Opportunities
Vehicle Retrofits and Replacements: Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) Grants
Texas Emission Reduction PlanType of Funding Available:
Emission Reduction Incentive Grants (ERIG) are available to assist applicants in offsetting the costs associated with reducing nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions in a variety of vehicles and equipment-including buses--through retrofit, repower, or replacement.
Additional Details: Find out more about the TERP grantsand how your district might qualify.
Areas Available:Grants are available in non-attainment areas and affected counties. Currently, applications are being accepted from eligible applicants in the following areas: Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, Dallas-Fort Worth, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Tyler-Longview, San Antonio, and Austin.
Contact Information: Contact the program by calling TERP Staff at 800-919-TERP (8377) or via email at terp@tceq.state.tx.us. Grant applications and information are available at www.terpgrants.org. Contact the program by mail at:
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Air Quality Division
Implementation Grants Section (Incentive Grants) MC-204
P.O. Box 13087
Austin, TX 78711-3087
Texas Agencies that replace diesel engines with alternative fuels
Railroad Commission of TexasType of Funding Available:
Funding is available to school districts who replace older diesel, gasoline or propane school buses with new propane-fueled school buses that meet or exceed the EPAs current emissions standards.
Additional Details: The amount of the grant varies depending on the calculated reduction in emissions. A grant estimate may be calculated by visiting the Railroad Commission website at http://www.propane.tx.gov/rebate_program/propaneequipment.phpAreas Available:
School districts who operate vehicles in the following non-attainment counties are eligible for funding: Bastrop, Bexar, Brazoria, Caldwell, Chambers, Collin, Comal, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Ft. Bend, Galveston, Gregg, Guadalupe, Harris, Hardin, Harrison, Hays, Jefferson, Johnson, Kaufman, Liberty, Montgomery, Orange, Parker, Rockwall, Rusk, Smith, Tarrant, Travis, Upshur, Waller, Williamson, and Wilson.
Contact Information: Contact Patrick Wilson of the Railroad Commission of Texas by phone at (512) 463-3370, or via email at patrick.wilson@rrc.state.tx.us. Contact the program by mail at:
Railroad Commission of Texas
Alternative Fuels Research & Education Division
P.O. Box 12967
Austin, Texas 78711-2967
Texas General Land Office
Type of Funding Available:
A Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) Initiative Grant Program is available to help cover the cost of replacing a variety of diesel vehicles including buses with natural gas vehicles.
Additional Details:Preference is given to state and local public sector fleets. Private fleets also may be eligible, especially those that operate directly under contract for government work or do other government business.
Areas Available:Certain counties in the following areas are eligible for funding: Austin, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, San Antonio, and Tyler-Longview.
Contact Information: Contact Soll Sussman in the Renewable Energy Division at (512) 463-9210, or via email at soll.sussman@glo.state.tx.us.Contact the program by mail at:
Texas General Land Office Renewable Energy Division
Natural Gas Initiative Program Grants
Attn: Soll Sussman
P.O. Box 12873
Austin, TX 78711-2873
Vehicle Retrofits or Replacements: Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs)
This TCEQ program makes funding available in certain areas of the state where SEP third-party project administrators have agreed to participate in clean school bus retrofit projects. The project administrators receive the money, which comes from a portion of fines resulting from enforcement actions for environmental violations.
Texas Parent Teacher Association (PTA SEP Description)Type of Funding Available:
Using Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) funds, reimbursement is available to school districts that retrofit or replace older diesel-engine school buses with newer model year buses or cleaner technology.
Additional Details:Buses older than 5 years old will be retrofitted with control technologies approved by the EPA. Buses older than model year 1991 that are not on the school districts replacement schedule can be scrapped and replaced with model year 2007 or newer buses.
Areas Available:Funding is available statewide, however SEPs are designated by county and are not available for all districts at all times.
Contact Information: Contact the Texas Parent Teacher Association (PTA) by phone at (512) 476-6769 or via email at txpta@txpta.org.Contact the Texas PTA by mail at:
Texas PTA
408 W. 11th St.
Austin, Texas 78701-2113
Texas Association of Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D SEP Description)
Type of Funding Available:
Using Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) funds, financial assistance is available to replace older diesel buses with alternative-fuel or clean-diesel buses, or to retrofit older diesel buses with new, cleaner technology.
Additional Details:Retrofitting is prioritized over replacing school buses. Older buses deemed not suitable for retrofitting will be permanently retired and sold only for scrap.
Areas Available:Funding is available statewide, however SEPs are designated by county and are not available for all districts at all times.
Contact Information:Contact the Texas Association of Resource Conservation and Development by phone at (979) 846-0819. Contact the program by mail at:
Texas Association of Resource Conservation and Development
1716 Briarcrest Drive, Suite 510
Bryan, TX 77802-2700
Council of Governments programs
Houston-Galveston Area Council of Governments (Area Emission Reduction Credit Organization).
Type of Funding Available:Two types of funding: Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) and Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs). CMAQ requirements are more stringent-buses must travel at least 12,000 miles/year, and only 75% of the engine replacement/retrofit costs are covered; SEPs are less stringent-they can cover the entire cost of not only the engine replacement/retrofit, but the whole bus, and buses only have to travel 2,500 miles/year. SEPs are designated by county and are not available for all districts at all times.
Additional Details:Funding is available to retrofit diesel school buses with EPA- or California Air Resources Board (CARB)-certified emission control equipment, or to replace buses where a retrofit does not make sense, guidelines currently stipulate the age cutoff as an absolute-those buses older than 1995 are only eligible for replacement, and buses 1996 and younger are only eligible for retrofit. Applications for funding will be primarily based on the emissions reductions achieved through the proposed actions, particularly reductions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Areas Available:School districts in the Houston-Galveston area are eligible for funding. This is defined by the 8-county ozone non-attainment area, which includes Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller ISDs.
Contact Information: Contact the program coordinator, Christine Smith, at (832) 681-2556, or via email at Christine.Smith@h-gac.com.Contact the program by mail at:
Clean School Bus Houston-Galveston Area
Attn: Clean School Bus Coordinator
3555 Timmons Lane, Suite 120
Houston, TX 77027
North Central Texas Council of Governments
Type of Funding Available: Grants may be available to schools, school districts, and school bus operators to reduce emissions from school bus fleets in the 16-county NCTCOG services area. Visit their website for information: http://www.nctcog.org/trans/air/schoolbus/index.asp.
Additional Details:
The program also encourages the adoption and enforcement of anti-idling policies.
Areas Available:Counties in the North Central Texas COG are eligible for available funding. (Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrent, and Wise counties).
Contact Information: Contact the program manager, Carrie Reese, at (817) 608-2353, or via email at creese@nctcog.org.Contact the program by mail at:
North Central Texas Council of Governments
Clean School Bus Program
616 Six Flags Drive P.O. Box 5888
Arlington, TX 76005-5888
Clean Air Force and Capital Area Council of Governments
Type of Funding Available: CLEAN AIR Force of Central Texas along with the Capital Area Council of Governments has established a non-profit grant program to provide information and funds to help local school districts retrofit or replace their existing diesel-powered school bus fleets to improve the air quality inside of the bus. In addition to possible State and Federal funding, CLEAN AIR Force of Central Texas also receives funds as a third party administrator to the Supplemental Environment Project program of TCEQ.
Additional Details:The program also provides information on retrofit technologies, clean fuels, and idling-reduction strategies.
Areas Available:School districts in Travis, Williamson, Bastrop, Caldwell and Hays counties are eligible for funding.
Contact Information: Contact the program coordinator, Janet Dewey, at (512) 913-2523 or via email at Janet@cleanairforce.org.Contact the program by mail at:
Clean Air Force
Clean School Bus Program of Central Texas
301 Congress Avenue, Suite 650
Austin, TX 78701
Alamo Area Council of Governments
Type of Funding Available:
The Alamo Area Council of Governments provides grants as available.
Additional Details:The program acts as an information source for Federal, State, and local funding as well as provides grants for replacement of diesel school buses as funding is available.
Areas Available:Counties in the San Antonio COG are eligible for available funding. (Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Frio, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kerr, Medina, and Wilson counties)
Contact Information: Contact Andrew Hudgins, the Clean Cities Coordinator, at (210) 362-5228 or via email at ahudgins@aacog.com.Contact the program by mail at:
Alamo Area Council of Governments
Atten: Andrew Hudgins
8700 Tesoro Drive, Suite 700
San Antonio, TX 78217
