New York Public News Network | By Samuel King
A five-year delay in a New York mandate for electric school buses will be included in this year’s final state budget, according to lawmakers.
School districts had been required to have all new school bus purchases be electric by 2027. That transition would now take place in 2032.
The proposal incorporates legislation from State Sen. Chris Ryan, D-Onondaga County, and Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, D-Nassau County.
Ryan said he had heard from a number of school districts and administrators that the current timeline was unrealistic.
“We’re not ready for a number of reasons, right? So the buses, you know … largely aren’t available, so I don’t even think we could actually meet the deadline with a mandate,” Ryan said. “You know, the buses that are available are very, very, very expensive.”
Ryan said the delay will give districts time to make the transition properly and allow technology and infrastructure to catch up.
The discussion comes as voters will decide on school district budgets Tuesday. The New York State School Boards Association also cited cost as a major barrier, especially since a federal program to fund electric buses was ended by the Trump Administration.
“School board members understand the urgency of addressing climate change and are committed to responsible stewardship of the environmental and fiscal resources of their communities,” the association wrote in a memo supporting the legislation. “Unfortunately, with about 200 ZEBs [zero emission school buses] out of 50,000 total buses statewide, this mandate is not achievable for many districts. Barriers range from workable to insurmountable; assumptions have been challenged and circumstances have developed that stymy the transition’s potential for success.”
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said lawmakers are still weighing whether to give school districts more money to assist in the transition.
The Assembly’s one- house budget proposal included $100 million for districts.
“I think for our members … moving out five years is not the only issue,” Heastie said last week. “You still want to make sure that there’s acknowledgement and cooperation and a plan from NYSERDA on how to get this done, particularly in some of the more rural parts of the state.”
Meanwhile, some Republicans continue to insist the mandate should be scrapped altogether.
“The policy is flawed. Yes, the kick out is great for school districts, but it doesn’t address, to me, the underlying issue, which is that there’s a there’s a problem,” said Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, R-North Tonawanda. “And I suspect at some point, even these kick out dates will have to be kicked out again down the road.”
Lawmakers said they are hopeful that the Legislature begins to consider budget bills later this week. The budget is now almost seven weeks late, and it is the latest budget since 2010.
Image Credit: Jeremy Moule/WXXI News