Washington, DC — Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) announced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded our community two grants totaling $120,000 to replace older model diesel school buses with cleaner, more environmentally-friendly, lower-emission buses.

“Ensuring our children in Ventura County can live and learn in a healthy environment is of the utmost importance to me,” said Congresswoman Julia Brownley. “This EPA funding will help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve air quality in our community. In Congress, I will continue to work to transition our transportation systems towards 21st Century clean-energy technology for a stronger and healthier future.”

Ventura Unified School District was awarded $20,000 to replace a decades-old school bus engine with a newer, lower-emission engine. Ventura Transit System, Inc., was awarded $100,000 to replace five old school buses with newer, cleaner buses. The new school buses will operate for Santa Paula Unified School District, which services approximately 5,500 K-12 students.

“The Ventura Unified School District is proud to continue its vision for utilizing cleaner school buses. This grant will allow us to replace the tank on one of our five CNG buses and helps us move one step closer towards a greener community,” said Betsy George, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services at Ventura Unified School District.

“We are very excited about this grant announcement,” said Masood Babaeian, owner of Ventura Transit System, Inc. “We are pleased to continue serving Santa Paula Unified School District’s students with transportation services in cleaner, low-emission buses that not only better protect school-age children but also provide better air quality to all of us in the area.”

“Ventura Transit has been a great partner in providing transportation services for our students. They are always willing to accommodate the needs of the School District. We know that they are working with vendors to find a vehicle that complies with the requirements of the grant and we look forward to seeing more environmentally friendly vehicles in use,” said Katherine Aguirre, Executive Director of Special Education and Student Support Services at Santa Paula Unified School District.

Learn more about EPA Clean Diesel grants here.

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