Reversing course on state’s mandate on electric school buses?

TOWN OF PHILADELPHIA, New York (WWNY) - There’s a push in Albany to give school districts an out when it comes to converting to electric buses. We learn more about the legislation and the roadblocks one school official says make the current timeline for fully electric fleets impossible.

“We’re gonna need more buses. In addition to more buses, we’re gonna need more drivers,” said Indian River Superintendent Troy Decker.

He has done his due diligence when it comes to a state mandate on EV buses.

His conclusion:

“Nothing short of, at least as we can say right now, impossible,” he said.

The issue is, it’s simply too much, too fast. By 2027 all new buses must be electric. By 2035, the entire fleet must be.

It’s a change that could cost Indian River tens of millions of dollars just to buy the buses, let alone create the infrastructure needed to support them. Add on concerns about what the energy grid can actually support.

In response, some lawmakers are trying to reverse course.

Twin bills were introduced in both the state Senate and Assembly that would let schools opt out of EV requirements.

“Right now, the technology doesn’t actually exist to be able to pull off what the governor is saying needs to happen. So, they need to fully back off of this thing until there is some kind of technology that exists, if at all,” said Sen. Mark Walczyk (R. - 49th District).

State Senators Mark Walczyk and Dan Stec are co-sponsors of the Senate bill. Assemblymen Ken Blankenbush and Scott Gray are co-sponsors of their version.

Decker hopes some kind of delay is provided.

“Anything that is going to pause the mandate’s timeline as it is now and perhaps reduce the scope is something very exciting,” he said.

Earlier this week, Governor Hochul told reporters near Rochester that she would consider extending the deadlines, specifically citing the availability of buses.

“The governor has signaled some things here, but what is unfortunate is that just a delay in the timeline or just kicking the can down the road and hanging this over the school district’s heads, doesn’t allow them to plan their budgets for years in the future,” said Walczyk.

Both bills are currently in committee. Similar ones were introduced last year as well, but did not get past committee.

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