EPA funds new e-bus for South Whidbey

Published 1:30 am Friday, January 12, 2024

The South Whidbey School District is set to receive another electric school bus, thanks to some federal dollars.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded over $11 million in grant funding to a statewide project known as Moving Washington’s School Bus Fleet Towards Clean Energy, which will purchase 33 electric buses for 17 school districts, including South Whidbey.

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, who represents Island County as part of the state’s Second Congressional District, praised the award in a press release this week.

“Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Everett School District and South Whidbey School District will be able to safely transport kids while pulling more pollution out of transportation,” Larsen said.

This will be the second electric school bus for South Whidbey, which received a $395,000 rebate in 2022 from the EPA through a program that was created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. According to the press release, the EPA is expected to announce another round of rebates in April.

South Whidbey School District Assistant Superintendent Dan Poolman said in an email that the district expects to receive the first electric school bus by the end of January. There is currently no timeline available for the second bus that was just awarded, but the first took about a year to be delivered.