School Buses Saving Money By Going Green

(ARA) –To help take money out of the gas tank this fall and put it back into the classroom, school districts across the country are switching to propane-fueled buses as a means of coping with swelling diesel costs. And the lesson that families and schools are learning is more than simple economics. While it’s cheaper than gasoline and diesel, propane is also a clean, efficient, domestically produced fuel that reduces harmful emissions and greenhouse gases.

“More and more we’re seeing districts embrace propane-fueled buses because propane burns cleaner than diesel at a lower cost. And more importantly, because propane significantly reduces particulate matter and carbon monoxide, it literally helps our kids breathe easier,” says Roy Willis, president and CEO of the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC).

Texas school districts have been national leaders in switching their fleets to propane because they recognize both the financial and environmental benefits of making the switch. “Thanks to propane, Texas schools have cumulatively saved millions in fuel costs,” says Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael L. Williams, chairman of the state’s chief energy agency. “These savings show how, by choosing propane, school districts nationwide can make the common-sense decision to spend more money on education and less money on transportation.”

Propane offers the three “E’s”-- benefits important to school districts and families:

Economic:
Because propane is such an efficient fuel, the government offers a 50-cent tax credit to school districts that choose to fuel their buses with propane. Gallon for gallon, this can result in cost-savings of up to 50 percent compared with using diesel. Northside Independent school district in San Antonio, Texas, saved $226,000 by using this tax credit in 2007, and the Dallas County school system estimates it saves $400,000 annually. This is money that these districts can now use for textbooks, teachers, and other student resources.

Environment:
Propane, recognized as an alternative fuel by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is cleaner than gasoline or diesel and, on average, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 20 percent. Compared with older-model diesel school buses, new propane buses can reduce key smog-forming emissions by more than 83 percent and can reduce particulate matter, which can be harmful to children, by 99.99 percent, according to the EPA. Because of propane’s environmental efficiency, Portland public schools, the largest district in Oregon, has 94 percent of its fleet running on propane.

Energy Independence:
Propane currently supplies about 4 percent of U.S. energy needs, but it has the potential to supply more. Fortunately, nearly 90 percent of U.S. propane supplies are produced at existing domestic facilities. Most of the remaining supply comes from Canada, making propane a very secure energy resource. With the world’s largest propane storage capacity, the United States is well positioned to compete for the growing supplies of propane being produced in the expanding global trade of liquefied natural gas.

For more information on the environmental benefits of propane, visit www.UsePropane.com/Climate.