David Cash, the Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator for Region 1, which includes Massachusetts, shared promising news regarding climate initiatives.

“Billions and billions of dollars are out the door already, already going to make these improvements in communities … all over the country,” he said Friday on Boston Public Radio.

Clean school buses bring a breath of fresh air

The EPA announced new funding through the
Clean School Bus Rebate Program, offering up to $965 million to school districts nationwide. This initiative aims to replace diesel buses with zero-emission, battery-electric alternatives.

Cash recalled the “sweet, acrid kind of smell” of the diesel bus he rode to school as a child.

“I didn’t know that, like, particulate matter was lodging in my lungs,” he said.

He also addressed environmental injustices, explaining that the EPA will direct funds to communities where they can make the greatest impact. Historically, low-income neighborhoods and communities of color have
faced higher levels of pollution compared to wealthier, predominantly white areas.

At a recent event in Nashua, New Hampshire, Cash talked with bus drivers and teachers about their experiences with the new electric buses. “Bus drivers love these things,” he noted. They explained the quieter buses allowed them to hear dispatch communications better, and teachers said the kids are calmer since they don’t have to yell to be able to hear each other.

Heat pumps in New England

The EPA has allocated $450 million to the
New England Heat Pump Accelerator to replace fossil-fueled furnaces, boilers and water heaters with heat pumps.

“Each state is figuring out how to do it, but they’re going to be directed at folks where there can be the biggest impact for local air quality,” Cash explained.

Heat pumps are a key tool in the clean energy transition,
reducing household carbon emissions by 36% to 64% compared to traditional heating systems.

“Imagine a family up in northern Maine that pays hundreds of dollars a month for oil now gets on a heat pump. [They’re] more comfortable, [it’s] easier to manage … and lowers their bill.”

Cash said the grant was also designed to “spur technology innovation.”

“Part of the funding here is going to train HVAC deployers, grow clean energy jobs in those communities … huge benefits all around.”

Massachusetts leads the charge in offshore wind energy

Massachusetts
plans to purchase 2,678 megawatts from offshore wind projects — enough to power over a million homes. Rhode Island will also benefit, marking the largest offshore wind selection in New England’s history.

“People all over New England, all over the country realize that as we shift from fossil fuels to big-scale offshore wind, our air is going to be cleaner. Climate change is going to be addressed,” Cash said.

Cash applauded Massachusetts for its leadership in renewable energy.

“A wind farm does not depend on volatile fossil fuel costs … the wind is a free resource, so we can predict the stability of prices moving forward,” he said.