(a) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, shall establish a school bus emissions reduction program. Such program shall be established regardless of the price levels established by the procurement contracts developed pursuant to subsection (c) of section 14-164o. Through the program, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall:

(1) Within available appropriations, make grants with funds from the school bus emissions reduction account, established pursuant to section 22a-21k, to municipalities and local and regional school boards to reimburse them for the cost of retrofitting full-sized school buses that are projected to be in service on or after September 1, 2010. For such grants the commissioner may use applicable existing contracts or provide a supplemental bid process;

(2) Develop an outreach plan and materials for educating and notifying municipalities, local and regional boards of education and bus companies about the requirements of section 14-164o; and

(3) Assist municipalities and local and regional boards of education and bus companies to retrofit their full-sized school buses. Such assistance shall include, but not be limited to, guidance in choosing whether to retrofit buses with either a level 1 device, level 2 device or level 3 device.

(b) To receive a reimbursement pursuant to this section, a municipality or local or regional board of education shall submit a form prescribed by the commissioner to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which shall contain: (1) The school bus model and year, engine model and year, vehicle identification number and date of installation for each eligible retrofitted bus, (2) for an eligible bus retrofitted with a level 3 device, a certification that the bus will operate in the state for not less than three years after the date of installation of the emission control device, and (3) a receipt for the purchase of the emission control devices and their installation.

(June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4, S. 19; P.A. 09-1, S. 34; P.A. 11-80, S. 1.)

History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4 effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 09-1 amended Subsec. (a)(1) to replace former requirements re grants with provision permitting commissioner to use existing contracts or a supplemental bid process for grants, effective July 1, 2009; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” and “Department of Environmental Protection” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection” and “Department of Energy and Environmental Protection”, respectively, effective July 1, 2011.

See Secs. 14-164n, 14-164o re emissions control devices in school buses.