One-third of the Dickinson ISD buses transporting students to and from school each day are now fueled by propane. Dickinson ISD was awarded a grant from the Department of Energy, the Railroad Commission of Texas and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality totaling more than $2.3 million for the replacement of 25 Dickinson ISD diesel-fueled buses with new propane-fueled buses. A requirement of the grant was that 25 diesel buses had to be destroyed and replaced with the new propane buses. In addition, the grant provided Dickinson ISD with a propane fueling station at the district's new Transportation Department facility.

The district has also purchased one additional propane bus and has two more arriving in the near future to add to the fleet of 85 buses. DISD is also gradually converting several maintenance vehicles to propane fuel.

"We are excited about beginning to transition to propane in our bus fleet and the benefits we will see in Dickinson ISD by using this type of fuel. Propane is a much more environmentally-friendly fuel as well as more cost-effective than diesel or gasoline. Based on our data so far this school year, we expect to save about $175,000 annually on fuel costs by using these propane buses," said Ken Winters, Dickinson ISD Fleet Manager.