Grants totaling more than $58,000 will help two Ohio school districts reduce emissions from dozens of school buses.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the grants to River Valley Local Schools and Seneca East Local Schools.

Ohio EPA officials said that the funding will go toward pollution-control equipment that is expected to eliminate 40 pounds of fine particle (soot) pollution, 302 pounds of carbon monoxide, 794 pounds of nitrogen oxides and 64 pounds of hydrocarbons per year.

River Valley Local Schools was awarded $51,808.80 to install emission-control equipment on three buses and idle-reduction equipment on 17 buses.

Seneca East Local Schools received $6,670 to install emission-control equipment on four buses.

The school bus retrofit grants are supported with civil penalties collected by the Ohio EPA for violations of Ohio’s environmental protection laws, and with a federal grant awarded to the Ohio EPA from the U.S. EPA under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act.

The Ohio EPA established its Clean Diesel School Bus Fund in 2006 to encourage school districts to install pollution controls on diesel school buses, reduce engine idling and use cleaner fuel to reduce air emissions and improve air quality. More than $8.3 million has been awarded to install pollution-control equipment on 2,622 school buses statewide and idle-reduction equipment on 1,018 buses.

The Ohio Clean Diesel School Bus Fund’s next grant application deadline is Oct. 15. For more information, go here.