ALBANY, N.Y. — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officials recently announced that money from a settlement with Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) will be used to retrofit school buses with emissions-control equipment.

An investigation by DEC and the Attorney General's Office found that RG&E had modified its Russell Power Plant in Greece, N.Y., without installing the pollution controls required by state and federal laws.

RG&E in February settled the violations by agreeing to eventually shut down the plant and replace it with a natural gas-powered facility, pay a $200,000 civil penalty and fund $500,000 worth of clean energy or air pollution-reduction projects.

The money will fund the purchase and installation of emissions-control equipment on public and private school bus fleets in Monroe, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans and Wayne counties, and the project will be administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which operates the Clean Air School Bus Program.

NYSERDA will pay for the purchase and installation of the equipment on existing buses, but school bus operators must apply to NYSERDA to become eligible for the retrofits.

DEC officials project that approximately 500 buses could be retrofitted through this project.