WASHINGTON, D.C. — A school transportation industry leader spoke at an event held on Monday by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that highlighted children’s health.  

Dale Krapf, the past president of the National School Transportation Association (NSTA) and chairman of the Krapf Group, attended the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA's) event to honor Children‘s Health Month. The event highlights EPA programs such as the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA).

Students, parents, EPA staff members, and members of the National Environmental Education Foundation and Diesel Technology Forum attended the event.

During the event, the EPA announced approximately $9 million in rebates to regional, state, or tribal agencies, including school districts and municipalities, as well as private contractor school bus operators serving public school children to help them replace older school buses with cleaner, more modern vehicles.

This is the sixth rebate program to fund cleaner school buses offered under DERA appropriations, and DERA funding has supported nearly 25,000 cleaner buses across the U.S. since funding began in 2008, the EPA stated in a news release.  

Krapf School Bus displayed one of its buses, which was purchased through funds under the DERA initiative, at the event.

“Our commitment to safety and children’s health is not only focused on preventing accidents, but also on protecting the overall health of the kids,” Krapf said. “That is why we have been a strong and consistent supporter of the DERA program, and even before that, the Clean School Bus program.”  

Krapf School Bus represents one of many NSTA members that have taken advantage of EPA’s DERA initiative.   

“I am delighted that Krapf School Bus received one of these rebates last year, which we used to purchase the bus on display today,” Krapf said. “It is an example of the many buses that local school districts and companies under contract to school districts around the country are able to buy to keep their children safe and their air much cleaner by taking older, more polluting but still serviceable buses off the road.”