SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WMBD) — The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) announced Tuesday that millions in funding will be coming to replace school buses around Illinois.
According to a press release, a $27,023,485 Notice of Funding Opportunity to replace diesel school buses with new all-electric school buses has been announced.
The school buses must operate within three priority areas outlined in the Beneficiary Mitigation Plan. Locally, the areas include Peoria and McLean Counties.
“Here in Illinois, we are leading the clean energy revolution—and this latest $27 million in funding for electric school buses will help us achieve our goal of 100% clean energy by 2050,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This isn’t just a win for our environment—it’s a win for our state’s children who deserve a healthy environment from the moment they step onto a school bus. I strongly urge all eligible school districts to apply for this funding as we create a cleaner Illinois, together.”
The funding can also cover a portion of the new electric charging equipment if charging infrastructure is needed.
Eligible applicants for the funding include school districts that own their buses or commercial school bus providers.
More information is available here.