The grant application by Davie County Schools for the replacement of two school buses was the first one selected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Two 1994 Vista’s with 408 engines will be replaced in part using a $25,000 per bus rebate from the EPA. The remainder of the funding will come from the state’s replacement fund.  EPA received over 500 school district applications in response to its announcement of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) rebate program. The response from North Carolina was tremendous, with nearly 50 applications submitted. Unfortunately, none of those – other than Davie County – showed up in the top 30+ awards selected by the EPA. DPI Transportation Services is currently evaluating which high mileage buses that were identified as eligible for this rebate program will be replaced using the school bus replacement fund, which comes from the sale of used vehicles and reimbursements from the extra uses of school buses. For more information on EPA’s rebate program – a full list of awards should be available by the end of January – click HERE.