Yellow school buses could soon be much greener in the Adirondacks. A state mandate to electrify school bus fleets will take effect in 2035, and officials are encouraging districts to begin the switch now. As of today, May 2, a total of $500 million from the state and some $5 billion from the federal Environmental Protection Agency is meant to fill in the financial gaps.
Some schools are eligible for more money than others, including several in the Adirondack Park. Moriah, Raquette Lake, Saranac, Lowville and more are listed as priority districts, elevating their maximum funding eligibility.
School districts in the Adirondacks have unanswered questions beyond funding. From battery capabilities in freezing weather to a lack of charging infrastructure, many school boards are pumping the brakes on the transition.
To get some answers, the Adirondack Explorer spoke with Nina Haiman, NYSERDA’s program manager of clean transportation. The interview has been slightly edited.
Community mourns ranger Robbi Mecus
As news of New York state forest ranger Robbi Mecus’ death made its way from Alaska to the Adirondacks, friends and colleagues voiced grief and the deep impression she made on them. Authentic, caring, proud and remarkable are just some of the words used to describe her.
Mecus died last week while ice climbing in Alaska’s Denali National Park. She was 52.
Based in Keene Valley, Mecus was also a strong voice in the LGBTQ community. She organized pride events, was outspoken about her identity as a trans woman and supported others.
Here are some stories I’m following:
Grist: New documents show oil executives promoted natural gas as green — but knew it wasn’t
“The new evidence, summarized in a 60-page report, could be critical for lawsuits alleging that oil companies lied to the public about climate change, since they provide evidence of ongoing deception.”
Washington Post: Nine practices from Native American culture that could help the environment
“Some might even hold the key to a more resilient future and a means of building security for both Indigenous communities and other groups disproportionately impacted by climate change.”
Vox: We might be closer to changing course on climate change than we realized
“Climate Analytics, a think tank, published a report last November that raised the intriguing possibility that the worst of our impact on the climate might be behind us.”
NPR: With a deadline looming, countries race for a global agreement to cut plastic waste
“Critics say American negotiators haven’t been willing to push for a global cap on plastic production, and are instead throwing their weight behind measures like recycling that are favored by the country’s fossil fuel and petrochemical industries.”
Photo at top: An electric school bus. Source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
This first appeared in Chloe’s weekly “Climate Matters” newsletter. Click here to sign up.
This is 10 years away, and many busses purchased last year will last beyond 10 years. For small districts in the north country this is a heavy financial burden. Also, have we assessed the safety and viability of school busses in rural areas. What is the range, and can a school deep in the adirondcks with long routes make it, especially on frigid winter mornings. Plus, you need to train mechanics, improve charging infrastructure, and vet reliability. Today’s busses are VERY reliable. There is still a fire concern with large batteries, and what happens if one fails. Whats the life expectancy. I feel like the state is jumping the gun on this.
I hope this goes better than it did down here in Ithaca. Our public transit had to give up on this and go back to the more ‘reliable diesel’ buses, we are now waiting for 5. The loss of service has probably created a lot of new emissions with people losing these bus routes. I am not against this idea, it looks like we just aren’t there yet.
https://ithacavoice.org/2024/04/tcat-opts-for-new-diesel-buses-amid-electric-fleets-reliability-issues/
“it looks like we just aren’t there yet”. Do you mean the whole fossil
fuel replacement with wind/solar power and replacing gasoline cars with electic cars thing? If so….I agree!
Kart before the horse. Until there is a surplus of green power we will just burn fossil fuel to make the the electricity to power the busses.
Think of the optics – Ever see an EV catch fire and burn? Extrapolate to a bus full of kiddies. I realize the risk is extremely low, but wait until it happens once. Would hybrid technology be a safer option?
The hybrid buses they tried in the same fleet I described in my comment above were even less reliable than the electric ones. Maybe they have good hybrid school buses.
I was out west skiing this winter and there was a report on an electric car that exploded in a garage in Boulder CO, luckily nobody was in the garage when it happened. I have always thought of Volvos as the safest cars you can get!
https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/electric-vehicle-explodes-boulder/73-d0ac92e6-2c1a-4829-ad81-3536d721cd8a