SAU #20 Acquires Cleaner School Buses with Federal Stimulus Program Funding
The 2009-10 school season recessed on an upbeat note for the Gorham, Randolph and Shelburne Cooperative School District (SAU #20) with the arrival and use of two new environmentally-friendly school buses. The district replaced two older buses with state-of-the-art model year 2010 buses—the first in New England that meet emission standards up to 25 times more stringent than the buses they replace.
Half of the funding for the new buses is being provided by New Hampshire’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Diesel Emission Reduction Act program, administered by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES), in the amount of $86,000. The district also received $22,720 in Recovery Act funding to install auxiliary heater equipment on both the new buses and six additional buses to reduce emissions from idling. The total award of $108,720 is part of $1.73 million made available in New Hampshire from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the ARRA and the Diesel Emission Reduction Act program for projects and initiatives aimed at reducing on- and off-road diesel engine emissions.
“DES applauds the efforts of the Gorham, Randolph and Shelburne Cooperative School District to be the first school district in the state to acquire these new clean buses,” said Assistant Commissioner Michael Walls. “By reducing emissions of toxic fine particle pollution by up to 90 percent, the use of these new buses will help protect school children and bus drivers from exposure to harmful diesel exhaust emissions.”
“Our school district is proud to lead the way for other school districts in the state that may be thinking about purchasing this type of bus,” said SAU #20 Superintendent Paul Bousquet. “These new buses and our idling reduction efforts demonstrate our commitment to provide a healthy school environment for all our students and staff.”
Bousquet welcomes inquiries regarding the buses and their performance from school districts throughout New Hampshire. He can be reached by calling 603.466.3632 or e-mailing paul.bousquet@sau20.org.
For more information on this school bus project and other diesel emission reduction projects in New Hampshire, contact DES Mobile Source Supervisor Thomas Fargo at 603.271.1378 or thomas.fargo@des.nh.gov.