Woodland Public Schools receives $4.25M grant for electric buses

Woodland Public Schools is beginning to swap diesel school buses for electric ones . The school district will receive about $4.25 million to replace 14 diesel buses with zero-emission buses through the U.

S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant program. Workforce training and development costs are also covered, according to an agency news release.



The district will also receive $1.38 million from the state’s transportation vehicle fund, which is regulated by the state’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, for the electric buses. Woodland manages KWRL Transportation, a cooperative that also provides bus service in the Kalama, La Center and Ridgefield school districts.

KWRL maintains a fleet of 125 diesel-fueled buses. In 2020, the Washington Legislature passed a law requiring the state Department of Ecology to follow the California Air Resources Board’s zero-emission vehicle standards by 2035, according to the department’s webpage. “The state of Washington opted into that,” said Shannon Barnett, Woodland’s transportation director, in an Oct.

24 board meeting. “That eliminates diesel as a viable option.” KWRL is working with Highland Electric Fleets to electrify buses and maintain them for their entire lifespan, about 13 years.

“Working with Highland is beneficial (because of) material procurement expertise,” Barnett said. “They’ve been doing this since the first electric bus rolled off the assembly line, and they’ve been able to determine what works and what doesn’t work.” The total cost of Highland Electric Fleet’s services for the 14 school buses is $218,000 per year, which the state will reimburse, according to KWRL’s presentation.

KWRL estimates it will save $190,000 annually on operation costs. Woodland plans to use six of the electric buses, and Ridgefield will use the remaining eight, Barnett said. The electric buses in Woodland will reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and greenhouse gases, according to the EPA.

Given that electric buses are quieter than diesel ones, the shift also “cuts down on overstimulation when kids are trying to talk over each other because of the noise,” Barnett said. The swap will unfold over the next two to three years, according to the EPA. Get local news delivered to your inbox!.