Clean School Buses Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a pilot program for awarding grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities for the demonstration and commercial application of alternative fuel school buses and ultra-low sulfur diesel school buses.
Directs the Secretary to establish a program for entering into cooperative agreements with private sector fuel cell bus developers to develop fuel cell-powered school buses, and subsequently with at least two units of local government using natural gas-powered school buses and such private sector fuel cell bus developers to demonstrate the use of fuel cell-powered school buses.
[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1461 Introduced in House (IH)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1461
To provide for the establishment by the Secretary of Energy of a pilot
program and a development and demonstration program for clean fuel
school buses, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 27, 2003
Mr. Boehlert (for himself and Mr. Udall of Colorado) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the establishment by the Secretary of Energy of a pilot
program and a development and demonstration program for clean fuel
school buses, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Clean School Buses Act''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Energy, in consultation with
the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall
establish a pilot program for awarding grants on a competitive basis to
eligible entities for the demonstration and commercial application of
alternative fuel school buses and ultra-low sulfur diesel school buses.
(b) Requirements.--Not later than 3 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy shall establish and
publish in the Federal register grant requirements on eligibility for
assistance, and on implementation of the program established under
subsection (a), including certification requirements to ensure
compliance with this Act.
(c) Solicitation.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall solicit proposals for grants
under this section.
(d) Eligible Recipients.--A grant shall be awarded under this
section only--
(1) to a local or State governmental entity responsible for
providing school bus service to one or more public school
systems or responsible for the purchase of school buses; or
(2) to a contracting entity that provides school bus
service to one or more public school systems, if the grant
application is submitted jointly with the school system or
systems which the buses will serve.
(e) Types of Grants.--
(1) In general.--Grants under this section shall be for the
demonstration and commercial application of technologies to
facilitate the use of alternative fuel school buses and ultra-
low sulfur diesel school buses in lieu of buses manufactured
before model year 1977 and diesel-powered buses manufactured
before model year 1991.
(2) No economic benefit.--Other than the receipt of the
grant, a recipient of a grant under this section may not
receive any economic benefit in connection with the receipt of
the grant.
(3) Priority of grant applications.--The Secretary shall
give priority to awarding grants to applicants who can
demonstrate the use of alternative fuel buses and ultra-low
sulfur diesel school buses in lieu of buses manufactured before
model year 1977.
(f) Conditions of Grant.--A grant provided under this section shall
include the following conditions:
(1) All buses acquired with funds provided under the grant
shall be operated as part of the school bus fleet for which the
grant was made for a minimum of 5 years.
(2) Funds provided under the grant may only be used--
(A) to pay the cost, except as provided in
paragraph (3), of new alternative fuel school buses or
ultra-low sulfur diesel school buses, including State
taxes and contract fees; and
(B) to provide--
(i) up to 10 percent of the price of the
alternative fuel buses acquired, for necessary
alternative fuel infrastructure if the
infrastructure will only be available to the
grant recipient; and
(ii) up to 15 percent of the price of the
alternative fuel buses acquired, for necessary
alternative fuel infrastructure if the
infrastructure will be available to the grant
recipient and to other bus fleets.
(3) The grant recipient shall be required to provide at
least the lesser of 15 percent of the total cost of each bus
received or $15,000 per bus.
(4) In the case of a grant recipient receiving a grant to
demonstrate ultra-low sulfur diesel school buses, the grant
recipient shall be required to provide documentation to the
satisfaction of the Secretary that diesel fuel containing
sulfur at not more than 15 parts per million is available for
carrying out the purposes of the grant, and a commitment by the
applicant to use such fuel in carrying out the purposes of the
grant.
(g) Buses.--Funding under a grant made under this section may be
used to demonstrate the use only of new alternative fuel school buses
or ultra-low sulfur diesel school buses--
(1) with a gross vehicle weight of greater than 14,000
pounds;
(2) that are powered by a heavy duty engine;
(3) that, in the case of alternative fuel school buses
manufactured in model years 2003 through 2006, emit not more
than 1.8 grams per brake horsepower-hour of nonmethane
hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen and .01 grams per brake
horsepower-hour of particulate matter; and
(4) that, in the case of ultra-low sulfur diesel school
buses, emit not more than--
(A) for buses manufactured in model year 2003, 3.0
grams per brake horsepower-hour of oxides of nitrogen
and .01 grams per brake horsepower-hour of particulate
matter; and
(B) for buses manufactured in model years 2004
through 2006, 2.5 grams per brake horsepower-hour of
nonmethane hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen and .01
grams per brake horsepower-hour of particulate matter,
except that under no circumstances shall buses be acquired
under this section that emit nonmethane hydrocarbons, oxides of
nitrogen, or particulate matter at a rate greater than the best
performing technology of the same class of ultra-low sulfur
diesel school buses commercially available at the time the
grant is made.
(h) Deployment and Distribution.--The Secretary of Energy shall
seek to the maximum extent practicable to achieve nationwide deployment
of alternative fuel school buses and ultra-low sulfur diesel school
buses through the program under this section, and shall ensure a broad
geographic distribution of grant awards, with a goal of no State
receiving more than 10 percent of the grant funding made available
under this section for a fiscal year.
(i) Limit on Funding.--The Secretary shall provide not less than 20
percent and not more than 25 percent of the grant funding made
available under this section for any fiscal year for the acquisition of
ultra-low sulfur diesel school buses.
(j) Annual Report.--Not later than January 31 of each year, the
Secretary of Energy shall provide a report evaluating implementation of
the program under this Act to the Congress. Such report shall include
the total number of grant applications received, the number and types
of alternative fuel buses and ultra-low sulfur diesel school buses
requested in grant applications, a list of grants awarded and the
criteria used to select the grant recipients, certified engine emission
levels of all buses purchased under the program, and any other
information the Secretary considers appropriate.
(k) Definitions.--For purposes of this section--
(1) the term ``alternative fuel school bus'' means a bus
powered substantially by electricity (including electricity
supplied by a fuel cell), or by liquefied natural gas,
compressed natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, hydrogen,
propane, or methanol or ethanol at no less than 85 percent by
volume; and
(2) the term ``ultra-low sulfur diesel school bus'' means a
school bus powered by diesel fuel which contains sulfur at not
more than 15 parts per million.
SEC. 3. FUEL CELL BUS DEVELOPMENT AND DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment of Program.--The Secretary of Energy shall
establish a program for entering into cooperative agreements with
private sector fuel cell bus developers for the development of fuel
cell-powered school buses, and subsequently with not less than 2 units
of local government using natural gas-powered school buses and such
private sector fuel cell bus developers to demonstrate the use of fuel
cell-powered school buses.
(b) Cost Sharing.--The non-Federal contribution for activities
funded under this section shall be not less than--
(1) 20 percent for fuel infrastructure development
activities; and
(2) 50 percent for demonstration activities and for
development activities not described in paragraph (1).
(c) Funding.--No more than $25,000,000 of the amounts authorized
under section 4 may be used for carrying out this section for the
period encompassing fiscal years 2004 through 2006.
(d) Reports to Congress.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and not later than October 1, 2006, the
Secretary of Energy shall transmit to the Congress a report that--
(1) evaluates the process of converting natural gas
infrastructure to accommodate fuel cell-powered school buses;
and
(2) assesses the results of the development and
demonstration program under this section.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy
for carrying out this Act, to remain available until expended--
(1) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2003;
(2) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2004;
(3) $80,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; and
(4) $90,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Science.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy.
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