[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Director Steve Owens Announces Nearly $3.2 Million in Grants to Fund Low Emission School Buses in 11 School Districts in Maricopa and Pima Counties

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Director Steve Owens Announces Nearly $3.2 Million in Grants to
Fund Low Emission School Buses in 11 School Districts in Maricopa and
Pima Counties

PHOENIX (July 2, 2007) - Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Director (ADEQ) Steve Owens today announced that 11 school districts in
Maricopa and Pima Counties have been awarded $3,177,000 in grants by
ADEQ to improve air quality and reduce children's exposure to harmful
diesel emissions from school buses. 

The grant will enable the districts to obtain less-polluting school
buses and new pollution control equipment for their current fleets.

The school districts receiving the grants are participating in ADEQ's
voluntary School Bus Idling Program, under which school districts reduce
diesel emissions by limiting bus idling near schools. A total of 158
school districts around the state in each of Arizona's 15 counties
participate in the School Bus Idling Program.

The districts were eligible for grants of up to $35,000 toward the
purchase of a new compressed natural gas-powered (CNG) school bus; up to
$15,000 toward the purchase of a new school bus equipped to run on
ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and equipped with a diesel particulate
filter; and up to $8,000 to retrofit used school buses with diesel
particulate filters to enable them to run on ultra-low sulfur diesel
fuel. 

"These grants will help protect children from exposure to harmful diesel
emissions while helping the school districts afford new low-polluting
school buses and technology," Director Owens said. "We are pleased to
partner with these school districts in this very important effort and
congratulate them for their commitment to protecting the air that our
children breathe every day."

The grant awards to each district are:

Maricopa County

Chandler Unified #80: $556,818 for 32 new diesel buses with filters and
9 filters for installation in existing diesel buses.

Scottsdale Unified School District: $269,514 for 29 filters for existing
diesel buses.

Phoenix Union High School: $240,000 for 16 new diesel buses with
filters.

Gilbert Unified School District #41: $149,730 for 21 filters for
existing diesel buses. 

Cave Creek Unified School District: $91,140 for 11 filters for existing
diesel buses.

Glendale Union High School: $177,072 for 20 filters for existing diesel
buses. 

Agua Fria Union H.S. district #216: $57,288 for 6 filters for existing
diesel buses. 

Phoenix Elementary School District #1: $31,248 for 4 filters for
existing diesel buses.

Pima County

Tucson Unified: $1,369,144 for 11 CNG buses, 42 new diesel buses and 38
filters for existing diesel buses.

Amphitheater Unified Public School District #10 (Tucson): $82,026 for 10
filters for existing diesel buses.

Continental Elementary School District (Green Valley): $153,020 for 4
CNG buses and 2 filters for existing diesel buses.

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News media interested in additional information on this or any other
topic concerning the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality should
contact the Office of Communications at (602) 771-2215 or via email at
communications@azdeq.gov.

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