Dear Neighbor,
You may recall that, in January, I announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding $16 million to Fairfax County Public Schools for the purchase of 42 brand new electric school buses. I was so proud to help secure this funding as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and I am prouder still to see these dollars in action.
Yesterday, our community came together at Lorton Station Elementary School to celebrate this monumental investment in our students and our climate.
Fairfax County is home to one of the largest school districts in the country. Our buses transport more than 140,000 students to and from school each day. Every day, these students, as well and staff and parents, are exposed by no choice of their own to diesel exhaust and other toxins.
That changes now.
These 42 new buses mark the beginning, not the end, of our efforts to ensure that no student in Fairfax County is exposed to the harmful effects of diesel-guzzling buses. Dirty diesel buses are linked to serious health problems like asthma and create unnecessary air pollution that affects all of us across our community.
For our students and their future, we know we must do better. And with this incredible investment, we will.
For more information on the Clean School Bus Program and this award process, I encourage you to consult the EPA’s website. And as always, if you need assistance with any federal agency, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office at (703) 256-3071.
