Are Yellow Buses The Safest Way To Get Our Kids To School?
While those yellow buses are the safest way to get our kids to school each day, millions of Americas kids are still riding aging school buses that emit unhealthy diesel exhaust. There is no warning sign on the back of diesel school buses that the black smoke coming out of the tailpipe could be hazardous to childrens health – but there should be. Diesel fumes can cause or exacerbate asthma, lung disease, and cancer, and have even been linked to premature death. “Major victory”, the transportation bill passed in 2005 included the creation of the National Clean School Bus Grant Program. In his Fiscal Year 2007 budget request, the president called for $50 million in funding for grants to clean up school buses and other polluting diesel equipment. This represents marked progress from the current, Ad Hoc School Bus grant program that received only $7.5 million. Unfortunately, the president asked for $35 million in cuts to state air programs that help implementing key Diesel cleanup programs.
