Lower-Emission School Bus Program
LESB
is an acronym for the Lower-Emission School Bus Program.
The primary goal of the LESB is to reduce the exposure of school age children to cancer causing
and smog forming air pollutants by funding projects that will achieve emission reductions from
school buses. Eligible participants included public school districts, Joint Powers Authorities
(JPA's), and private transportation companies who contract with public school districts to provide
transportation services to students.
Why School Buses?
Currently
mobile source emissions are major contributors to the
potential cancer risk from air pollution. Long-term epidemiological studies of school age children
conducted by Universities in Southern California indicate that nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter
have much greater impacts on limiting lung growth in children than believed in the past. These
pollutants include exhaust emissions from high emitting diesel-fueled school buses that contain smog
forming pollutants and air toxics harmful to children.
As a result, the North Coast Unified Air Pollution
Control District (District) adopted a Lower-Emission School Bus Incentive Program. Many older school
buses have remained on the road and in service primarily because school districts lacked the necessary
funds to replace them.
Using state and its own matching funds, the District has provided almost $3 million in
incentives to public school districts for purchase of new low-emitting diesel buses or installation of
diesel particulate trap filters. These filters as estimated to eliminate 85 percent or more of particulates
in diesel exhaust.
LESB Grant Funding
Currently
all applications received for the LESB Program have been evaluated
and District staff has issued grant awards in Trinity, Del Norte and Humboldt counties. Those school
districts who received grant awards must now submit a LESB Annual Report to the District on a yearly basis for the next five years.
Questions?
For more information about this grant program, contact NCUAQMD
Staff at (707) 443-3093 for assistance.