MID-HUDSON – New York State’s mandate requiring all school buses purchased by 2027 to be zero-emission electric vehicles has been pushed back to 2032. School districts statewide met the original mandate with major pushback, citing high vehicle costs, a lack of capable electric infrastructure, and poor battery performance in the winter months.
At a recent roundtable on energy infrastructure, US EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin told that current school bus technology is far more energy-efficient than in previous years.
The Trump Administration, Zeldin says, believes in consumer choice. “If you want to buy an electric vehicle, buy an electric vehicle. If you want a hybrid, buy a hybrid. If you want an internal combustion engine, go get that. As far as school buses go, the reality is that all school buses of all types, no matter what the source is that powers it, are so much better for the environment than they were 20 years ago.” Zeldin also said, “If you are making it harder for a school district to get a new bus, you are forcing them to stay in that old quality school bus from the past. They’re just going to continue to ride it until it can’t move anymore. That is so much worse for the environment, no matter how it’s powered.
Wappingers Central School District (WCSD), the ninth-largest in the state outside New York City, is led by Superintendent Dr. Dwight Bonk, who opposed Governor Hochul’s original e-bus mandate. “The infrastructure is not there to adequately provide the type of electricity necessary to roll out 300 electric buses (used by the WCSD). I am concerned that this will limit our ability and compromise efficiency and, most importantly, student safety.” Bonk did offer an alternative for the funding needed to purchase electric school buses. “I would rather direct funding to school safety and mental health services.”
Comments