CARMEL – Kent and Putnam Valley are now among the towns opposing New York State’s zero-emission bus mandate, which requires school districts to start buying zero-emission buses by 2027 and to completely phase out traditional buses by 2035.

Town boards in both municipalities approved resolutions calling on Governor Hochul and members of the State Legislature urging to “reconsider, amend or delay the implementation until such time as infrastructure, funding and reliability concerns are adequately addressed.”

Putnam County has additionally requested that the state reevaluate its position, as funding is needed for infrastructure necessary to safely implement the protocol including countywide charging stations, heated bus garages with charging stations and battery surplus storage in the event of battery failure.

The Brewster, Mahopac, Carmel and Putnam Valley School Districts have also expressed concerns.

Sam Oliverio, former Putnam Valley supervisor and county legislator who now serves on the Putnam Valley Board of Education, described the mandate as being “stupid. It won’t cure anything and is dumb while making no sense. A cold wave of three to four days will drain 40 percent of the energy out of the batteries powering the vehicles. God forbid a bus stalls with our children onboard.”