Dallas Independent School District is on the road to providing cleaner, greener bus rides for students, thanks to more than $7.6 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency.

The funds are part of the EPA's Clean School Bus Program Fiscal Year 2022 rebate competition, which will award nearly $51 million in funds from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Texas school districts, and $965 million in total to districts around the country.

Dallas' $7.6 million will go toward 25 new electric school buses, according to the EPA.

"Once fully implemented, students will ride buses that are healthier for the environment — and in turn, healthier for them,” says Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson in a news release.

Congressman Colin Allred adds that, as a graduate of Dallas public schools who rode the bus when he was growing up, he understands the importance of bus service to families.

“This is great news for Dallas schools and shows how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to deliver and how North Texas school districts can lead the nation in the adoption of this technology,” Allred says in the release. "I was glad to join the EPA this summer in urging our schools to apply for this funding and I am proud that Dallas ISD will receive 25 clean, pollution-free electric school buses.”

DISD must now submit Payment Request Forms with purchase orders that shows the district has ordered the new buses and eligible infrastructure.

The district is among 13 Texas school districts to receive funding. Houston ISD, the state's largest school district, was awarded roughly $6.2 million. Killeen ISD and Socorro ISD received the largest sums among the districts, totaling nearly $9.9 million in funding each.

At the time of the announcement, the EPA had selected 389 applications across the country totaling $913 million to support the purchase of 2,463 buses, mainly in areas serving low-income, rural, and/or Tribal students. More applications are under review, and the EPA plans to announce additional districts that will receive funding, bringing the total investment to the full $965 million, in the coming weeks, according to a statement.

The EPA intends to make available another $1 billion for clean school buses in Fiscal Year 2023.

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This article originally ran on our sister site, InnovationMap.