Pingree Applauds $7.7 Million EPA Grant for Electric School Buses Prone to Malfunction

Maine’s Democratic Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (CD-01) on Wednesday applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for announcing a $7.7 million round of grants for Maine schools to purchase electric school buses.

The $7.7 million EPA grant, which is funded by President Joe Biden’s “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” will help 15 school districts across Maine purchase a total of 38 “clean” school buses.

The EPA’s $5 billion “Clean School Bus Program,” launched in 2022, has a goal of transitioning all traditional diesel-powered public school bus fleets to all-electric buses by 2035.

However, the electric school buses in Maine that have already been purchased under this program have been plagued with mechanical failures and dangerous malfunctions, leading to several of the “zero-emission” buses being pulled off the road.

In December, Winthrop Public Schools reported that they were struggling to keep their fleet of four electric school buses on the road due to water leak issues and heating system failures — just weeks after they were purchased.

[RELATED: Winthrop Schools Struggle to Keep Electric School Buses on the Road Due to Water Leak Issues, Heating System Failures…]

Winthrop Superintendent Jim Hodgkin told the Kennebec Journal in December that whenever it rains, the windshields of the electric buses let in water and make the glass seem like it’s “not securely in place.”

“Every time there is precipitation, they leak. Every time. And as you can imagine, electricity and water do not mix well and we can’t take the chance if it’s leaking. We just can’t drive it,” Hodgkin told the Journal. 

Three out of four of Winthrop’s electric buses also experienced heating system failures.

Last summer, the Maine State Police Vehicle Inspection Unit noted a number of problems with the electric buses, from loose body rivets and an inoperative driver’s auxiliary fan to a power steering hose that rubbed on a bracket and a malfunctioning rear emergency door check.

Vinalhaven’s electric school buses have also been identified as having side body damage in the form of broken rivets and a lack of wheel chocks, which are blocks that prevent the bus from rolling when parked. 

[RELATED: Several Electric School Buses Pulled Off the Road Amidst EV Mandate Controversy…]

Canadian-based company Lion Electric, the supplier of Maine’s electric school buses, issued a recall in October 2023 for certain 2024-2025 LionC model School Buses, due to incorrectly installed anti-lock brake systems and rear wheel speed sensors.

The recall was issued as a result of reported cases in early May 2023 of school buses suffering rear wheel lockup in a hard braking situation.

“Maine students, families, and educators rely on school buses for safety and efficiency, but diesel exhaust from existing fleets is damaging to air quality, our environment, and to human health—especially for children,” Pingree said in her Wednesday statement. “As a stalwart supporter of clean energy, I am overjoyed to see millions of dollars in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments coming to Maine schools through the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program to make our communities safer and healthier. “

“This funding puts us further down the path to achieving net-zero emissions, and it’s a huge win for our state, our country, and our planet,” Pingree said.

The Maine Democrat did not mention the potential dangers of leaky electric school buses with malfunctioning heating systems, brakes, speed sensors and broken emergency exit doors.

The Maine school districts set to receive rebate funding for the electric buses and the grant amounts are listed below:

• Fayette Public Schools: $200,000, one bus;
• Biddeford Public Schools: $1,000,000, five buses;
• RSU 28/MSAD 28: $1,220,000, six buses;
• Education in Unorganized Territory: $690,000, two buses;
• Brunswick Public Schools: $70,000, two buses;
• Cape Elizabeth Public Schools: $600,000, three buses;
• Yarmouth Schools: $1,000,000, five buses;
• RSU 57/MSAD 57: $600,000, three buses;
• RSU 75/MSAD 75: $200,000, one bus;
• Kittery Public Schools: $400,000, two buses;
• RSU 17/MSAD 17: $400,000, two buses;
• Saco Public Schools: $400,000, two buses;
• RSU 85/MSAD 19: $345,000, one bus;
• Brooksville Public Schools: $200,000 one bus;
• RSU 51/MSAD 51: $400,000, two buses.