435 Utah school bus drivers have attended idle reduction education and awareness training and taken the pledge to reduce idling by at least five minutes a day. The sessions were hosted by Utah Clean Cities (UCC). UCC, along with the National Energy Foundation (NEF), Utah State Office of Education, and the Nevada Energy Office, received a U.S. Department of Energy grant to develop and implement the idle reduction training program to educate school bus drivers on the harmful effects of engine idling.

The training comes just ahead of a new Utah state regulation that goes into effect July 1, 2008, requiring the State Board of Education to implement an idle reduction program for all school bus drivers in the state and to adopt idle reduction standards for all school buses.

NEF is writing the curriculum, while UCC is working with the school districts on revisions and changes. All six districts in Utah and Nevada are serving as test cases for the program. Once the training period is complete, the curriculum will be made available nationwide with the help of the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, the National School Boards Associations, and other Clean Cities Coalitions.