WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thirty recipients have been named in the U.S. EPA’s first-ever rebate program, which focuses specifically on replacing older school buses.

The winners include school districts, contractors, a Head Start agency and a Jewish academy. They represent 18 states.

The program, announced in September, drew more than 1,000 applications requesting a total of more than $70 million — far surpassing the total allocation for the rebate funds, $2 million.

“The response from school bus fleet owners was overwhelming,” EPA officials said in an announcement.

The agency explained that all applications were given a unique identification number. Then eligible applications were selected for funding through a random number generator, and rebate funds were reserved for those selected. The remaining applicants were placed on a wait list.

“We are honored to be among the recipients and appreciate the EPA’s commitment to advancing the cleaner environmental standards of the yellow school bus industry,” said Rob Nelson, president of Dousman (Wis.) Transport Co., one of the rebate recipients.

Selected applicants have 90 days to submit purchase orders for new buses. Between July and October, the new buses will arrive and the old ones must be scrapped in order to receive payment from the EPA.

To view the list of selected applicants, the list of wait-listed applicants and other details on the rebate program, go here.