Texas Sen. Eddie Lucio, Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality Chairman Buddy Garcia, and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo I.S.D.
Superintendent Dr. Daniel King gathered at North Alamo Elementary
School today to congratulate the district on efforts to protect the
health of students who ride school buses.
PSJA I.S.D. has received more than $87,000 and retrofitted 42
school buses with diesel oxidation catalysts and closed crankcase
filtration systems, paid for through the TCEQ's Texas Clean School
Bus Program.
"This is an exemplary program designed to protect the health of
the children of Texas. Children are particularly vulnerable to the
chemicals in diesel engine exhaust. I encourage the schools in my
district to take advantage of this opportunity to improve air
quality," said Sen. Lucio.
More than 36,000 buses carrying an estimated 1.3 million
students hit the roads of Texas each school day. A little more than
one-third of these buses are more than 10 years old. Older vehicles
emit more pollution than do newer models. Exposure to diesel
exhaust from school buses can aggravate respiratory problems,
asthma and allergies. An easy retrofit of buses with
clean-technology devices can reduce emissions by 70 to 80
percent.
"Not only should we teach our children how to protect the
environment, we should do all that is in our power to protect
them," said TCEQ Chairman Buddy Garcia. "The Texas Clean School Bus
Program is a successful venture that helps school districts do just
that."
The TCEQ's Clean School Bus Program is a state-wide program
accepting applications for reimbursements to Texas school districts
that install pollution-control devices on diesel school buses in
their fleets. A total of $8 million can be issued to school
districts this year. Applications are awarded on a first-come,
first-served basis and the deadline has been extended to Dec. 15 in
response to Hurricane Ike. Go to www.texascleanschoolbus.org
or call 512-239-3100 for application information.
The program was created by House Bill 3469 in the 79th
Legislature sponsored by Rep. Scott Hochberg and Sen. Gonzalo
Barrientos. In fiscal year 2008, about $5 million was awarded to
retrofit 2,643 school buses across the state.
