Transportation makes up 37% of all greenhouse gas emissions; it’s the largest source of emissions in New Jersey. Diesel exhaust can be especially harmful, leading to decreased lung function, increased asthma severity and increased risk of lung cancer.

School buses, many of which run on diesel, can directly threaten developing children, who breathe at faster rates than adults, putting them at risk. There are around 21,700 school buses registered in New Jersey, 99% of which run on fossil fuels, impacting the health and wellness of the communities around them, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

New Jersey’s Electric School Bus Grant Program is aimed at helping to protect schoolchildren from air pollutants while also reaching environmental resiliency goals. The Murphy administration is providing up to $45 million in funding to school districts and school bus operators over three years to create an electric school bus infrastructure across the state.

“This should be the last generation of New Jersey kids that grow up breathing diesel fumes on the school bus,” says Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey.