The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is accepting applications from public school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and transportation systems provided by a county-wide school district that operate diesel-fueled school buses in Texas.
Donor Name: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
State: Texas
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/20/2022
Details:
Purpose
This grant program implements the portion of the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) related to the Texas Clean School Bus (TCSB) Program, as authorized under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 390. TCEQ adopted rules to implement this program under 30 Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 114, Subchapter K, Division 4. Further authority is contained in Texas Water Code, Chapter 5, Subchapter D, Section 5.124 (authority to award grants) and the Texas Water Code, Section 5.229, pertaining to TCEQ’s general authority to enter contracts.
TERP Objectives
The objectives of the TERP are to:
- achieve maximum reductions in NOX to demonstrate compliance with the state implementation plan;
- implement new technology and monitoring of that technology to reduce PM;
- prevent areas of the state from being in violation of national ambient air quality standards;
- achieve cost-saving and multiple benefits by reducing emissions of other pollutants;
- achieve reductions of pollutants emitted in diesel exhaust from school buses; and advance new technologies that reduce NOX emissions and other emissions from facilities and stationary sources.
Eligibility Criteria
Any Texas school district or open-enrollment charter school that operates one or more diesel-fueled school buses or a transportation system provided by a countywide school district may apply for and receive a grant under this program. A “school district” must be authorized and created pursuant to Chapter 11 of the Texas Education Code. A “charter school” must be a school authorized and created by Chapter 12 of the Texas Education Code. Private schools are not considered school districts for the purposes of this grant. A “private school” is any school that offers instruction for one or more grades from prekindergarten through grade 12 and is not operated by a governmental entity.
Eligible Costs and Grant Amounts
- The grantee may be eligible for reimbursement of up to 100% of the cost to purchase and install the retrofit device and associated equipment.
- Eligible budget categories include Equipment, Supplies and Materials, and Contractual Costs as defined below:
- Equipment is defined as non-construction related, tangible personal property having a unit acquisition cost of $5,000 or more (including sales tax and delivery, protective in-transit insurance, and freight charges) with an estimated useful life of over one year. Equipment purchased with grant funds should be budgeted as Equipment if the sum of the separate component parts (including tax and delivery) has an original value of $5,000 or more. Installation costs may include costs to re-engineer the school bus for the retrofit system to fit. Technical design, testing, and other engineering services required as part of the installation work should also be listed under this category. An itemized invoice and proof of payment will be required for reimbursement of all equipment costs. Equipment costs that do not involve an arms-length transaction (e.g. use of inventory without a proof of purchase) are not reimbursable.
- Supplies and Materials are defined as non-construction related costs for goods and materials having a unit acquisition cost (including sales tax and delivery) of less than $5,000. Basic items such as telephones, tools (wrenches, screwdrivers, etc.), and office supplies are considered to be a cost of doing business and will not be funded. An itemized invoice and proof of payment will be required for reimbursement of all supplies and materials costs. Food and drinks are not reimbursable expenses.
- Contractual expenses are defined as non-construction related costs for professional services or tasks provided by a firm or individual who is not employed by the applicant. Each subcontractor/consultant should be listed separately.
For more information, visit TCEQ.
