KWRL, the regional school transportation cooperative that serves students in Kalama, Woodland, Ridgefield and La Center school districts, is working to procure more than a dozen electric school buses, thanks in part to a $2.8 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program.
The EPA grant would fund roughly half of the cost of the 14 electric buses sought by KWRL. The cooperative is now waiting to hear whether it will receive additional grant funds to cover the remaining costs, according to The Daily News.
During a Kalama School Board meeting last month, Kalama School District Superintendent Dr. Wesley Benjamin explained that KWRL’s push to secure funding for its first electric fleet comes in the wake of House Bill 1368, which calls for Washington state school districts to eventually transition away from diesel buses. The bill, passed during the 2024 legislative session, was introduced by Rep. Tana Senn of Mercer Island.
“It is as much about healthy kids as it is for the environment. … I understand the anxiety about this big change, but we can’t wait any longer. Our children’s future depends on this,” Rep Senn told Cascade PBS.
A number of studies have linked repeated exposure of diesel exhaust emissions to lung conditions such as asthma and even cancer. According to OSPI, communities with demonstrated air pollution issues and buses manufactured prior to 2007 will be given priority when it comes to grant funding.
While the bill does not set a timetable for districts to transition to electric buses, KWRL Transportation Director Shannon Barnett told school leaders in Kalama that the availability of numerous grants makes this an ideal time to begin that process.
KWRL operates a total of 120 buses. Its four-district footprint includes nearly 90 bus routes, serving more than 7,000 students.