ATLANTA — A school district here has received grant funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for new school buses.

Fulton County School System was awarded a total of $1,962,097 through the EPA's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program, according to a news release from the agency.

The grant will allow the district to replace 85 diesel school buses that are model year 2001 to 2005 with new propane-powered buses. The investment will reduce about 22.5 tons of nitrogen oxides, and will increase the number of propane buses in the district’s fleet to 272, according to the agency.

“The Fulton County School System has shown their commitment to reducing the impacts of diesel emissions with the early retirement of older, dirtier school buses,” said Mary S. Walker, the EPA’s acting region 4 administrator. “Combined with the clean school bus idle reduction policy, the school system has demonstrated a strong commitment to children’s health and the environment.”

Last December, the EPA announced that it is offering $40 million in funding for the latest round of the DERA grant program. The funding is available for projects that significantly reduce diesel emissions, particularly in areas designated as having poor air quality. Priority will be granted to projects that benefit communities and applicants that demonstrate an ability to continue efforts to reduce emissions after the project has ended.

For more information about the EPA's National Clean Diesel campaign and DERA program, go here.