Area School Buses to Go a Little Greener

By RandyR

09-05-2008

At least some area students will breathe a little easier thanks to a grant received by the Ozarks Clean Air Alliance.

The grant, in the amount of $130,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency, is earmarked to retrofit 89 local school buses with catalysts and filters to cut down on pollutants. The EPA has voiced concern that repeated exposure to diesel fumes could lead to respiratory problems like asthma or bronchitis.

The grant will cover the costs of fitting 75 Springfield school district buses and 14 buses from the Logan-Rogersville school system.

Michelle Garand, a spokesperson for the Community Partnership of the Ozarks, said that emissions could be reduced by “20 to 40 percent,” and that can have a benefit not only for the children, but for anyone else working around the buses.