Improving Air Quality with New Buses and Air Filtration Systems
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ROSEVILLE, Calif. – The Placer County Air Pollution Control District (Placer Air District) is pleased to announce the upcoming arrival of two brand new school buses to the Roseville City School District (RCSD).
These new buses will replace older, more polluting buses in the school district's fleet, and will not only meet the latest safety requirements, but also be equipped with clean-burning diesel engines to meet California's strictest tailpipe emission standard. Benefits of meeting this standard include reduction of smog-forming reactive organic gases and ozone-forming nitrogen oxides associated with significant adverse health effects, including shortness of breath, bronchitis, asthma attacks, and premature death.
In addition, two RCSD elementary schools, Woodbridge and Brown, received grant funding for the installation of high efficiency air filters in their existing HVAC systems, capable of filtering ultra-fine particles. These filters are designed to help eliminate bacteria, viruses, and fine particulate matter caused by transportation sources and smoke through a nano-fiber structure filtration technology that is safe, healthy, and effective. These schools are located near and attended by students living close to major transportation corridors including rail.
"I am pleased to collaborate with RCSD to reduce diesel emissions from school buses and install air filtration systems that will make classroom air quality cleaner than ever, benefitting both students and staff. These projects are an example of how we invest grant funding and create partnerships that improve outdoor air quality, and in this case, indoor too," said Erik White, the Placer Air District's Air Pollution Control Officer. The project includes installation of the air filtration systems and nine, approximately annual, filter replacements for each school, resulting in cleaner classroom air for at least 10 years.
Air Quality
These projects will improve air quality for residents of disproportionately impacted communities in the Roseville area, and will be especially beneficial to sensitive groups including school-age children, who regularly ride the bus, spend time in the classroom, and tend to be more susceptible to air pollution than healthy adults due to their developing respiratory systems.
Purchase of the buses and the air filtration systems will be made possible with approximately $430,000 in funding awarded by the Placer Air District. The RCSD award was part of approximately $2 million in state and local funds made available through the Placer Air District's annual grant programs, which offer incentives for businesses and public agencies to replace higher emitting heavy-duty vehicles or equipment with cleaner engines, and fund infrastructure projects that support California's transformation toward zero and near-zero emission technologies.
About the Placer County APCD: The Placer Air District (placerair.org) is a special district focused on reducing air pollutants within Placer County and maintaining healthy air quality. Grants are just one of the ways the Placer Air District improves air quality within the county. Grants are available every year for a wide variety of projects, including off-road equipment and heavy-duty vehicle replacements.