Thanks to the leadership of Senators Reverend Warnock and Ossoff, Blue Bird is receiving an $80 million federal grant for a state-of-the-art electric school bus manufacturing facility
The new facility is expected to create 428 manufacturing jobs and 250 construction jobs in Fort Valley, Georgia
Funding was made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, legislation championed by Senators Warnock and Ossoff for its investments in Georgia’s trailblazing clean energy economy
Today’s announcement is part of a larger $1.7 billion nationwide investment to convert 11 shuttered or at-risk auto facilities into revolutionary hubs for clean energy manufacturing
Funding will help expand access to modern and safe school buses for Georgia’s children relying on a critical public service
Every day, nearly 25 million children ride over 500,000 predominantly diesel buses to school in the U.S., which contributes to air pollution, and more importantly exposes children to polluted air
In January, Senator Reverend Warnock was joined by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan at Stone Mountain Middle School to announce a $1 billion nationwide federal investment in clean energy school buses
Senator Reverend Warnock: “As a father of two young children, I believe the health of our families is tied to the health of our environment”
Senator Reverend Warnock: “This is a ride to the future, and this investment demonstrates the power of bipartisan cooperation to deliver tangible results for our communities”
Senator Ossoff: “Senator Warnock and I today are announcing this historic investment to help create economic opportunities for Middle Georgia families, help Georgia kids get to school more safely, and to reduce air pollution”
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) announced a new $80 million federal investment in Georgia’s clean energy economy, specifically to convert a shuttered manufacturing facility in Fort Valley into a state-of-the-art electric school bus manufacturing facility. The new facility is expected to create 428 manufacturing jobs and 250 construction jobs to Fort Valley, Georgia. The new 600,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility will host the production of zero-emission electric school buses, with a particular focus on the education and training of its current and future workforce.
The funding is being administered by the Department of Energy and awarded to Blue Bird Company. The federal grant was made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, legislation championed by Senators Warnock and Ossoff for its historic investments in Georgia’s clean energy economy. This federal grant will enable Blue Bird to meet the exponential growth of demand for EV school buses and expand access to modern and safe transportation for Georgia’s children relying on a critical public service.
“As a father of two young children, I believe the health of our families is tied to the health of our environment. That is why I am proud to have helped secure this landmark investment to green our yellow school buses, which will help create hundreds of new jobs in Georgia’s clean energy economy. Georgia’s children relying on this critical public service deserve to have a safe ride to and from school,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “This is a ride to the future, and this investment demonstrates the power of bipartisan cooperation to deliver tangible results for our communities.”
In January 2024, Senator Warnock led colleagues in urging Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to provide full and fair consideration for Blue Bird’s grant bid. Senator Warnock hosted Blue Bird’s team in his Washington, D.C. office for a virtual meeting with the Department of Energy in March 2024 to highlight the economic and ecological benefits this project would bring and urge the approval of the grant. Additionally, in January 2024, Senator Warnock joined Blue Bird leaders and workers in Stone Mountain, Georgia to celebrate $60 million in EPA Clean School Bus funding for Georgia–part of a larger $1 billion nationwide investment made possible by the senator.
“Senator Reverend Warnock and I continue working relentlessly to expand economic opportunity in Middle Georgia. Senator Warnock and I today are announcing this historic investment to help create economic opportunities for Middle Georgia families, help Georgia kids get to school more safely, and to reduce air pollution,” said Senator Ossoff.
Blue Bird will work with a local full-service design-build construction firm, providing an additional investment in the construction workforce in Middle Georgia. With this investment, Blue Bird will be able to retain and expand its existing workforce of nearly 2,000 employees which includes union representation by the United Steelworkers who recently signed their first collective bargaining agreement with Blue Bird.
Earlier this week, Senators Warnock and Ossoff announced $45 million in federal funding for Georgia’s clean energy and green transportation economy, specifically going towards three cities across Georgia that will invest in all-electric and clean energy buses and a new transit hub. In 2021, Senator Warnock introduced the Clean Commute for Kids Act to bolster Georgia’s clean energy and electric vehicle economy and protect the health of our kids and communities. During negotiations for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Senator Warnock fought to include key provisions of his Clean Commute for Kids Act in the final legislation, providing $5 billion for the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean School Bus Program. Last year, schools in Georgia were awarded $50.8 million through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program. Additionally, communities in Georgia were awarded $53.3 million for clean transit buses and improved bus service through DOT’s Low- and No- Emission Bus and Bus and Bus Facilities Program.
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