Green Transportation Program

The 2024 Clean School Bus Program prioritizes applications that will replace buses serving high-need local education agencies, rural areas, Tribal school districts funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and public school districts receiving basic support payments for students living on Tribal land. The EPA expects to award approximately 60% of total funding for the 2024 CSB Rebate Program to applicants in prioritized school districts.

Learn more: The Clean School Bus Program Rebates homepage provides links to supporting documents and program requirements. The CSB Technical Assistance page provides details about free assistance available to all potential applicants.

Application period: Sept. 26, 2024 to Jan. 9, 2025
Deadline to submit questions to cleanschoolbus@epa.gov: Nov. 14, 2024

IRA Tax Credits

Those selected for this rebate may also be eligible for tax credits applicable to their bus and infrastructure purchases. For example, the Commercial Clean Vehicle tax credits for qualifying school buses are worth up to $40,000. Learn more on the EPA’s Clean School Bus Tax Credits webpage.

This grant program has $2 million available to install Level 2 charging stations across Washington, including fleet and workplace charging. Grants will be up to $10,000 per plug, or up to 80% of eligible project costs. Projects that qualify for reduced match may receive up to 100% of eligible project costs.

• Eligible applicants: Public organizations, Tribal governments, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, businesses
• Eligible project categories: Installing 4 to 10 Level 2 plugs for fleet and workplace charging, publicly available charging, and multi-unit/multi-family residential properties
• Application period: July 9 to August 29, 2024

Learn more: Grant guidelines and resources

Funding is available to help schools in Washington reduce toxic and greenhouse gas emissions from school buses that use fossil fuels by scrapping and replacing old buses with new zero emission buses. Approximately $20 million is available for eligible projects.

• Eligible Applicant: School bus owners that transport students to K-12 schools overseen by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for the 2023- 2024 school year.
• Eligible Project Categories: Scrap and replace diesel school buses owned by the applicant with zero emission school buses, including charging or fueling infrastructure.
• Application Deadline: May 15 to August 15, 2024.
• Notice of Awards: Ecology anticipates notifying successful recipients of awards by October 2024.

Learn more: Ecology’s Zero Emission School Bus Grant Program 2023-2025 Grants Announcement and Grant Guidelines

Funds are available to help cover the upfront purchase price of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, which includes electric school buses. Applications are open April 24 through July 25, 2024.

• This program is separate from the Clean School Bus Program and presents another opportunity for school districts to apply for an estimated $700 million in funding. Funding covers the difference between the cost of replacing a diesel-burning school bus with another diesel-burning bus and the cost of replacing it with a clean electric school bus.
• Funding can also support the purchase and installation of charging infrastructure, driver and mechanic training, and more.
• Eligible applicants include school districts, nonprofit school transportation associations, Tribes, states, cities, and territories.

Learn more

Approximately $14 million will be available to scrap diesel school buses and replace them with new zero-emission school buses, including charging or fueling infrastructure.

School buses being scrapped must be:

• Powered by diesel
• Owned by the applicant
• Licensed, registered, and insured for on-road operation in Washington for at least one year prior to November 15, 2023

Eligible Applicants
School bus owners that transport students to K-12 schools identified by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Application period: Nov. 16, 2023 – Jan. 25, 2024

Learn more:
Publication Summary
Grant Announcement and Guidelines (PDF)

Approximately $2.24 million will be available to help eligible applicants scrap and replace:

• Diesel transit buses with new fuel cell-powered buses
• Diesel yard trucks with new electric yard trucks

The vehicles being scrapped must:

• Be owned by the applicant
• Have operated in Washington for at least two years prior to December 6, 2023
• Have at least three years of remaining life after December 6, 2023
• Have accumulated at least 7,000 miles/year during the two years prior to December 6, 2023 for transit buses
• Have operated at least 500 hours/year during the two years prior to December 6, 2023, for yard trucks

Eligible Applicants
Cities, counties, state agencies, Tribal governments, ports, clean air agencies, transit authorities, and non-for-profit entities.

Application period: Dec. 6, 2023 – Feb. 27, 2024

Learn more:
Publication Summary
Grant Announcement and Guidelines

The 2023 Clean School Bus Rebate Program is now open. EPA anticipates awarding at least $500 million in rebate funding; this amount may be modified based on the application pool and other factors.

Applicants can apply for funding to purchase up to 25 zero-emission (ZE) and/or clean school buses, along with ZE charging infrastructure and eligible workforce development costs. Selectees may be eligible for Inflation Reduction Act tax credits applicable to their bus and infrastructure purchases. For example, the Clean Vehicle tax credits for qualifying school buses are worth up to $40,000.

EPA is prioritizing applications that will replace buses serving high-need local education agencies, rural areas, Tribal school districts funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and public school districts receiving basic support payments for students living on Tribal land.

Application period: Sept. 28, 2023 – Jan. 31, 2024
Learn more
Public webinars

Differences from 2022 EPA Rebate Program
(Taken from insights provided by Alison Wiley, World Resource Institute’s Electric School Bus Initiative.)

• New wheelchair lift allowance of $20,000 is available
• $345,000 topline (max) per bus for prioritized districts
• Non-prioritized districts are now included: $200,000 topline per bus, 40% of funds
• Rebates inclusive of ESB and chargers
• Workforce training development and consulting services included (optional)

This opportunity supports installing Level 2 or DCFC for:

• Multi-family residential charging
• Publicly available charging in underserved communities
• Fleet depot and workplace charging

Eligible lead applicants:

• Electric utilities
• Public agencies
• Federally recognized Tribal governments
• Non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations

Lead applicants are encouraged to partner with each other and the private sector, including charging companies or site hosts.

Application period: Sept. 6 – Dec. 1, 2023

Learn more

This funding opportunity supports installing 4-10 Level 2 charging plugs for:

• Multi-unit residential buildings
• Publicly available charging
• Fleet and workplace charging

Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to:

• Businesses
• Non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations
• Public organizations
• Tribal governments

Application period: Sept. 26 – Nov. 16, 2023

Learn more (PDF)

Local governments, Tribes, and ports are among the groups eligible to apply for new grants to replace diesel street sweepers, refuse vehicles, freight switcher locomotives, cargo-handling equipment, and forklifts with zero-emissions models. The Washington Department of Ecology is offering the grants – totaling $16.3 million – from the Volkswagen Settlement funds they manage. The grants can also be used for related charging and fueling infrastructure. Learn more:

• Volkswagen enforcement action grants
• Grant opportunity factsheet (PDF)
• Available zero-emission public vehicles

Application period: July 26, 2023 – October 26, 2023

The City of Seattle’s Heavy Duty Vehicle Electrification Incentive Pilot (PDF) aims to bring new electric drayage trucks to the Duwamish Valley in the next two years, with the potential to scale as new federal and state incentives grant programs are developed and implemented.

Eligible projects: The City of Seattle investment will fund point of sale rebates for new electric vehicles operating in the Duwamish community. Incentives are available for Battery Electric Class 8 Tractor Trailer Trucks and will cover 40% (Up to $180,000) per truck for a total of $1.7 million available in funding.

Eligible applicants: Current and new drayage fleet owners based in Washington servicing the Port of Seattle, based in the city of Seattle, or based in the Duwamish Valley. Priority will be given to Independent Owner Operators, small drayage fleets, and Women-and Minority-Owned businesses.

Applications due: Oct. 16, 2023.

Learn more

EPA recently announced the 2023 Clean School Bus (CSB) Grant Program. In EPA’s 2023 Clean School Bus (CSB) Grant Program, approximately $400 million will be awarded to eligible applicants to purchase of zero-emission (ZE) school buses, clean school buses, and ZE charging infrastructure. This funding opportunity includes one program for school district and Tribal applicants and one for third-party applicants.

EPA is prioritizing applications that will replace buses serving high-need local education agencies, rural areas, Tribal school districts funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and public school districts receiving basic support payments for students living on Tribal land and rural areas. EPA is committed to ensuring the CSB Program delivers on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative that at least 40% of the benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities.

Resources to help you apply

Electric School Bus Resources
Applying for EPA eSB Grants

Important Dates

Applicants must submit all grant application materials to Grants.gov by August 22, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Learn more about this opportunity, application documents, technical resources, and how to apply on the opportunity webpage.

Webinars

EPA is hosting webinars to provide an overview of this funding opportunity and how to apply. Details are posted to the Clean School Bus Webinars webpage.

The Clean Energy Fund (CEF) – Electrification of Transportation Systems (ETS) Round 2 Grants program provides funding for local governments and federally recognized Tribal governments to procure, install, and integrate EV supply infrastructure and/or hydrogen refueling station infrastructure in rural communities.

Funding covers innovative projects that:

• Fill EVSE/hydrogen deployment gaps in rural communities with new infrastructure
• Upgrade existing infrastructure to better serve end-users and uses in rural communities and facilitate long distance travel, or
• Construct additional EVSE or hydrogen fueling stations where needed in rural communities to increase system resiliency and better support end-users and uses.

Please see the Electrification of Transportation Systems Program on the Commerce website for more information.

Ecology provided approximately $5 million to scrap and replace 2009 and older diesel fire apparatuses with electric fire apparatuses, including the associated charging infrastructure.

Applications were due on December 15, 2022.

Eligibility The grant is open to fire departments, fire districts, regional fire authorities, Tribal entities, and other public entities providing fire protection services in Washington. Eligible fire apparatuses must:

• Have a 2009 or older model year engine.
• Be publicly owned.
• Have been licensed and operational for at least two years prior to October 6, 2022.
• Have at least three years of remaining life.
• Have accumulated at least 7,000 miles/year during the two years prior to October 6, 2022.

Apply

• Review Electric Fire Apparatus Grant Program FY 2022-2023 Grant Guidelines (PDF)
• Complete an application on Ecology's Administration of Grants and Loans System Electric - see Fire Apparatus Grant Program 2022-23 Application Instructions

Videos about available electric fire apparatus options are available on our Public Fleet Success page.

WSDOT’s ZEVIP grant provides funding for installing new and upgraded EV charging equipment and hydrogen fueling infrastructure along priority corridors in Washington. WSDOT published a Notice of Proposed Awards for projects (PDF) that help complete entire alternative fuel corridors, complete segments of corridors, or fill in gaps of existing corridors. The ZEVIP notice of proposed awards for the 2021-2023 biennium represent an investment of $9.8 million in new and upgraded EV charging stations. For more information see the ZE VIP Notice of Grant Opportunity and Grant Application Guide (PDF).

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced the Zero-emissions Access Program (ZAP) grant funding opportunity for 2021-2023. ZAP grants fund zero-emissions carshare pilot programs in underserved and low- to moderate-income communities that have limited access to public transportation or are in areas where emissions exceed state or federal standards.

The 13 projects awarded a total of $2.2 million for the 2021-2023 biennium are listed at the bottom of WSDOT’s ZAP Grant webpage.

Ecology administers the Clean Diesel Grants program. Funding is available for the following entities:

• Air Quality Clean School Bus Grant Program 2022-2023 School bus owners that transport students to Central and Eastern Washington K-12 schools overseen by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) for the 2021-2022 school year.
• Air Quality Clean Diesel Grant Program 2022-2023 Cities, counties, public utility districts/co-ops, ports, transit authorities, school districts, state government, tribes, nonprofit organizations, tribes, and local clean air agencies.

Commerce is accepting grant applications for the Clean Energy Fund – Electrification of Transportation Systems (ETS) Grants program. PHASE ONE applications were due on September 15, 2022.

ETS grants provide funding for local governments, federally recognized Tribal governments, small utilities, and state agencies to integrate and manage electrical load from EVSE. Funding covers innovative projects that prepare communities to construct and/or expand EVSE through early-stage consultant studies, engineer designs, or direct capital asset investments and infrastructure upgrades.

The Washington State Legislature Green Transportation Capital Grant (RCW 47.66.120) is awarded to transit agencies to fund capital projects to reduce the carbon intensity of the Washington transportation system. Examples include electrification of vehicle fleets, capital facilities to facilitate fleet electrification and/or hydrogen refueling and upgrades to electrical transmission and distribution systems.

These nine 2021-2023 Green Transportation Capital Grant winners were awarded nearly $16.5 million for July 2021 to June 2023.

For the 2017-2019 program, WSDOT selected two projects through a competitive process to install 15 new EV charging stations near highway exits about 40 miles apart.

This 2019-2021 Project List provides an overview of Green Transportation Capital Grants projects in the current Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program List.

For more information, contact Evan Olsen, evan.olsen@wsdot.wa.gov or 360-705-6929.

Commerce awarded $9.8 million for EV charging infrastructure through the Electrification of Transportation Systems Program to promote the continued transformation of the electric transportation market in Washington. Commerce prioritized projects in communities disproportionately impacted by climate change and pollution from transportation systems, many of which are often low-income and communities of color, and communities underserved by existing electric transportation infrastructure. The following proposed projects were conditionally awarded grants.

During fall 2019, Ecology offered grants to provide up to $2,250,000 to install Level 2 and direct current (DC) fast charging equipment for employee workplace charging at government-owned facilities in Washington. Eligible applicants included state, county, and city governments in Washington. The maximum amount for an individual grant award was set at $200,000.

Award recipients are listed below.

In December 2019, Ecology opened a grant opportunity for DC fast chargers along high-traffic transportation corridors in Washington. About $4 million was available on a competitive basis to state, local, or tribal governments; private businesses and incorporated nonprofits. Ecology prioritized projects in communities disproportionately impacted by VW vehicle diesel pollution and those located within 1.5 miles of a high-traffic corridor. The maximum amount for an individual grant award is $600,000.

Over 50 entities submitted applications for nearly $4 million available to install DC fast chargers along Washington’s transportation corridors. Award recipients are listed below.

In 2015 Volkswagen was cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board for violating emissions standards by selling diesel vehicles equipped with "defeat devices." These devices allowed the cars to pass federal emissions tests, but during actual driving conditions they emitted significantly more air pollutants than allowed by the Clean Air Act. The federal government sued the company, and in 2016 VW settled the cases for $14.7 billion.

As part of the settlement, $2.8 billion was set aside for states and Tribes to fund diesel emission mitigation projects. $55 million of this money is earmarked for Tribes, in a trust called the "Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Environmental Mitigation Trust for Indian Tribe Beneficiaries," or just the "Tribal Trust." Any federally recognized Tribe can apply for funding from the Tribal Trust, which they can use to replace old, polluting diesel vehicles or equipment with new, cleaner models, or even install EV charging stations.

January 15, 2020 - The Trustee Notice of the Third Funding Cycle Under The Modified Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Environmental Mitigation Trust for Indian Tribe Beneficiaries is available here.

In one of the largest such investments in the country, the Washington Department of Ecology offered grants during fall 2019 for about $12 million statewide to help school districts purchase all-electric school buses. To help offset the cost difference between electric and diesel buses, Ecology would provide up to $325,000 per electric bus. Grant recipients could elect to use up to $50,000 of the $325,000 grant to help pay for the associated electric charging infrastructure. The results of this grant offering were announced in April 2020.

The grants fund the purchase of 40 new electric school buses in 22 districts around the state.

Electric school bus grants, by the numbers (Dept. of Ecology)

• 400,000 – Number of zero-emission miles these buses will drive each year
• 19,200 tons – Lifetime reduction in carbon dioxide emissions
• 3,000 – Number of children these buses will carry each day
• 2007 – All of the electric buses will replace pre-2007 diesel buses, with older emissions controls
• 67% – Two-thirds of these electric buses will serve communities disproportionately affected by diesel pollution.
• 36 tons – Lifetime reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions
• 1 – Current number of electric school buses in Washington (in Tacoma’s Franklin Pierce School District)