News File Photo A school bus appears in this 2021 News archive photo.

LINCOLN — Alcona County students may soon help the environment on their commute to school after the district learned it will receive up to $790,000 to fund two electric school buses.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday named Alcona Community Schools as one of only 25 of Michigan’s 500-plus school districts approved for a share of a $1 billion allocation to help pay for electric school buses across the country.

That award will help the district bolster its aging fleet of school buses while considering whether electric buses could prove an efficient use of the district’s resources in the future, said Dan O’Connor, Alcona Community Schools superintendent.

The district expects to introduce the buses to its fleet in the spring, O’Connor said.

The district will have to pay for the buses up front and then will receive reimbursement from the federal government.

In a county where school bus rides can last for two hours one way, an environmentally friendly bus could provide dramatic fuel savings and significant emissions benefits over conventional vehicles, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The EPA chose Alcona Community Schools as one of about 350 recipient districts nationwide — from an application pool of about 2,000 submissions — during the first round of its rebate competition intended to improve air quality in and around schools and reduce greenhouse gas pollution while protecting children’s health.

The competition prioritized school districts with more than 20% of students in poverty, rural school districts, and districts in underserved and overburdened communities, according to the EPA.

Nearly a third of Alcona County children live in poverty, according to data compiled by the Michigan League for Public Policy.

The EPA will announce another round of electric bus funding in coming months and expects to offer more such grants next year.