Remarks for the Orangeburg Electric Bus Press Event, As Prepared for Delivery
Michael Regan
Orangeburg, South Carolina
Thank you, Raybon, for that introduction—what a tough act to follow!
Hello, everyone! It’s an honor to join you all today.
Dr. Foster, thank you for welcoming us to Orangeburg.
To Principal Whitehurst, and all the staff at Marshall Elementary, thank you for hosting us here at your school.
Congressman Clyburn, it’s an honor to be in your district.
You have helped lead the charge advancing and uplifting President Biden’s Investing in America agenda in Congress, and I’d like to thank you for your invaluable partnership.
I’d also like to thank the state and local leaders who are here with us. You all play a critical role in ensuring funding for clean and electric buses reaches communities across the state, and we appreciate your leadership.
Some of the best moments of my job are those when I have an opportunity to engage with young folks—our next generation of leaders.
You all represent the best and the brightest our country has to offer, and every single day, I’m inspired by the passion and energy of young people just like you.
At EPA, it’s our privilege and greatest responsibility to ensure that all people have clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and an opportunity to lead a healthy life—and so many of the decisions we make, and actions we take as an agency, directly impact the lives of our children.
As a parent myself, I understand the weight and seriousness of that responsibility.
And I can tell you with certainty—there is no higher priority for me than ensuring that our children can thrive in clean and healthy communities.
Every single day, millions of children across this country ride the bus to and from school.
For many, it's more than just a means of transportation, it's a source of community and connection. It’s a quintessential part of being a kid in America.
But traditional vehicles that transport our students rely on internal combustion engines that emit toxic pollutants into the air—not only harming the environment, but also harming the health of the communities they serve.
Diesel exhaust from these buses can cause lung damage, aggravate asthma, and exacerbate other health issues for the children who ride the bus, the bus drivers responsible for transporting them, and the folks in the surrounding community.
On day one, President Biden committed to ensuring that our children grow up in a healthier, more sustainable world, and the Clean School Bus Program is central to those efforts.
Thanks to the leadership of President Biden, and the support of partners like Congressman Clyburn, EPA has received $5 billion dollars in Clean School Bus Program funding to upgrade and electrify our nation’s school bus fleets.
And our agency has already awarded just under $2 billion dollars to school districts across the country.
These investments are going everywhere that school buses go. They’re going to urban communities. They’re going to rural communities. They’re going to Tribal communities.
Our agency is dedicated to ensuring that this transformative program reaches the schools that need it the most.
Here in South Carolina, school districts have received just under $66 million dollars from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to deliver 168 clean school buses to school districts across the state.
And we are moving quickly to make that happen.
In the coming months—students from Orangeburg County School District will be able to ride in 20 of the first-ever electric school buses to hit the road in South Carolina.
More than 5,000 electric and low-emission buses, just like the ones here today, are in the process of being delivered to communities nationwide.
These new, electric-powered school buses will deliver safer, healthier, and more environmentally sustainable learning spaces for our students, especially in the areas where children learn and play.
Folks, the benefits of the Clean School Bus Program go far beyond public health—it will also save school districts money, create good-paying jobs, build a cleaner economy, and help our country address the threat of climate change.
And while these buses are parked during the day, they can also help rural electric cooperatives meet energy demands, strengthen grid reliability, and reduce customer costs.
Transitioning to clean school buses means cleaner air and less pollution. It means healthier kids and healthier communities. It means less time away from school and increased focus and productivity. And it means good-paying American manufacturing jobs right here in South Carolina and across the country.
And let me tell you, you all are leading the way—helping drive forwards our country’s transition to a clean transportation future—one electric school bus at a time.
This is what President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is all about.
We’re transforming how millions of children get to and from school, and we’re positioning our nation to go further and faster than ever before to achieve our climate and public health goals.
I couldn’t be more optimistic about where we’re headed together. And I couldn’t be more grateful for the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, who are working every single day to build a better future for our children.
Mark my words: zero emission school buses can, and one day will be, the American standard.
Now it’s time to hit the accelerator!
Thank you!