EPA’s internal watchdog is warning the agency to keeap better track of millions of dollars in funds used to electrify the country’s school bus fleet.
EPA’s Office of Inspector General released a report on Thursday that found the agency did not check up on electric school buses it financed with over $836 million in 2022 rebates. The program, created by President Joe Biden’s trademark infrastructure law, is designed to take dirtier diesel-fueled buses off the road and improve air quality for children traveling to school.
“We found that the EPA did not monitor the status of bus deployments or how the recipients used or managed the Clean School Bus Program rebates, which put the funds at an increased risk of fraud, waste, and abuse,” said Nicholas Koons, an auditor with the inspector general, on a podcast.
Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, $5 billion is provided to EPA to replace school buses with clean and zero-emission models. In 2022, 360 schools received EPA rebates for the more environmentally friendly vehicles.
