INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Office of Energy Development (OED) today announced that seven Indiana public school corporations will receive $275,430 from the OED’s 2015 Indiana Propane School Bus (PSB) grant program.
This is OED’s first grant specifically dedicated to propane school buses. The participating schools will benefit from propane school buses in a variety of ways, including decreasing schoolchildren’s exposure to harmful particulate matter, lowering maintenance costs through the use of a cleaner burning fuel and increasing fuel diversity.
The winning school corporations include:
- Avon Community School Corporation
- DeKalb County Central United School District
- Metropolitan School District of Warren Township
- Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township
- North Spencer County School Corporation
- Tippecanoe School Corporation
- Warrick County School Corporation
“Improved engine technologies have made propane a low-cost option for Indiana’s school bus fleet,” said OED Director Tristan Vance. “At OED, we believe that propane is a promising alternative fuel for school buses because it is widely available, even in rural areas, and traditionally costs less than diesel or gasoline.”
OED intends for recipients to track their miles driven, fuel usage and cost savings for one year after the buses are first put in use. This data can help the recipients and their communities and peers to better understand their fueling options.
PSB projects must involve the purchase of a minimum of two new propane school buses. The winning schools must have access to propane fueling infrastructure or show that they will have access if they are awarded a grant. OED expects participants to demonstrate their need for this project and how this project will benefit the applicant’s school corporation.
Quarterly reports, including expenditures and fuel savings, will be due to OED starting January 2016 and occur for one year.
