FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2024
Media Contact:Carolina Chacon | carolina@chaconconsulting.com | 702-810-7155
LAS VEGAS — Today, dozens of families toured one of Clark County School District’s first electric school buses at Winchester-Dondero Cultural Center, celebrating the cleaner air it will offer students and drivers. Parents marveled at the lack of a tailpipe, while students admired the air conditioning, seat belts and cameras in the electric school bus, which has been delivering kids to school since January 2023.
“We’re so glad to see these buses hit the road, and we’ll keep working to bring more to Clark County,” said Clark County School Board Trustee Brenda Zamora.
Clark County School District (CCSD) invested in its first four electric school buses thanks to funding from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection’s Volkswagen Settlement and NV Energy’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Demonstration (EVID) program — two programs Chispa Nevada helped ensure provided funding for zero-emission school buses. Another 25 electric school buses are coming soon thanks to funding from the Biden-Harris administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
CCSD’s new clean school buses are replacing aging diesel buses that emit tailpipe pollution that is especially harmful to children, whose lungs and brains are still developing. Diesel pollution has been linked to asthma attacks, heart and lung disease, cancer, and even more missed days of school and worse test scores in English and math. Electric school buses produce zero emissions, reducing pollution, improving air quality, and protecting children’s health.
“I have asthma, as do my son, my mother and my nephews, and I know what it means to suffer from this disease,” said Guadalupe Lyn, Chispa Nevada member. “We spend too much money on medicines, such as inhalers and also steroids, all so we can breathe better. This is not fair to our children. What they need is clean, pure air. That’s why Chispa is helping so many families fight for a clean ride for our kids.”
Since 2017, Chispa Nevada’s Clean Buses for Healthy Niños campaign has called for school districts to switch from dirty diesel buses to zero-emission electric school buses that don’t pollute the air children breathe. Latine children, as well as low-income children, Black children and children with disabilities, will most benefit from electric school buses, as they are more likely to suffer from asthma and also more likely to take a diesel bus to school.
In 2021, Chispa Nevada and partners across the country championed the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which created the $5-billion Clean School Bus Program at EPA. CCSD applied for funding from EPA in 2022 and received nearly $10 million for 25 electric school buses, which are expected to roll out for the 2025-2026 school year.
“Chispa Nevada, its volunteers, allies, and the Latino community in general want the Clark County School District to apply for federal resources and continue investing in electric school buses until they reach a 100 percent zero-emission fleet,” said Rodrigo Gonzalez, Chispa Nevada senior community organizer. “We thank the school district for their efforts so far to prioritize children’s health and introduce electric school buses, and can’t wait to see more zero-emission buses join the fleet. Our children deserve to breathe clean air.”
Hosted by Chispa Nevada as part of Latine Heritage Month, this was the first public celebration of CCSD’s electric school bus pilot program.
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Chispa Nevada is a program of the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund that builds the power of Latine communities to fight for climate justice.