Hawai'i public school children may soon be riding "greener" buses, due to a $1.73 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA grant, part of the federal economic stimulus package, will be used to retrofit older buses and buy new buses with "clean diesel" technology.

The state plans to retrofit or buy up to 400 school buses, the EPA said.

"These cost-effective projects will help Hawai'i speed its journey to recovery," EPA Acting Region 9 Administrator Laura Yoshii said in a statement. "This funding will bolster the state's economy and create new, green jobs that will improve air quality in Hawai'i."

This portion of the stimulus money is intended to support clean diesel projects and loan programs to address the nation's fleet of more than 11 million diesel engines.