Education
Council mandates all school buses be electric by 2035
BY ALEJANDRA
O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
The New York City
Council passed a bill
earlier this month that
would require all school
buses to be electric by
2035 in order to improve
the city’s air quality.
The transportation
sector is the largest
contributor of greenhouse
gas emissions
with gases released from
cars, trucks, and buses
accounting for 29% of
the country’s total CO2
emissions, according to
the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. In
New York City, vehicle
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emissions make up 30%
of the city’s total carbon
emissions with traffi ccaused
air pollution contributing
the 320 premature
deaths and 870
emergency visits each
year, according to the
Mayor’s offi ce.
Mayor Bill de Blasio
voiced his support for the
measure in April, committing
to rolling out a
100% electric school bus
fl eet by 2030. In addition,
the mayor announced
that through a partnership
with the New York
City School Bus Umbrella
Corporation, the
City would purchase
75 electric school buses
over the next two years
with the fi rst of which
arrived in the city this
past June.
“Today we are doubling
down on reducing
air pollution and carbon
emissions from our vehicles,”
said de Blasio.
“The clean transportation
future we need is
being built right here,
right now.”
New York City
Schools Chancellor
Meisha Ross Porter also
supported the move stating,
” our children deserve
an environment
that is cleaner, greener
and brighter than how
we left it, and this announcement
brings us
one step closer to that
reality. New York City
is pioneering this important
work to combat
climate change and reaffi
rming our commitment
to healthier school
communities across the
fi ve boroughs.”
Not only would the
transition from a diesel
school bus fl eet to an
electric fl eet help the environment
and improve
New Yorkers’ health, but
it would also save about
$18 million in health
care costs, the City estimates.
“For our kids’ sake,
it’s time to leave the internal
combustion engine
behind,” said Ben
Furnas, Director, Offi ce
of Climate and Sustainability.“
Electrifying our
school buses will give our
schoolchildren cleaner
air to breathe while confronting
the climate crisis
and accelerating the
transition away from fossil
fuels.”
In order to accommodate
an electric
school bus fl eet, the City
pledged earlier this year
to amend a local law that
would require parking
facilities to include electric
vehicle charges for
at least 20% of parking
spaces and new parking
lots would be required to
have electric service capabilities
at all parking
spaces.
“The clean transportation future we need is being built
right here, right now.”
Reuters
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