Electric Bus Mandate Will Bankrupt Long Island Schools
The governor is wrong to force schools to switch to electric buses, and the state mandate will bankrupt taxpayers. That’s the consensus among state legislators from Suffolk, who point out that there is no infrastructure in place to charge the buses and that there are better, less expensive ways for New York to meet its carbon-neutral goals.
Under the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, passed by the Democrats in 2019, new bus purchases must be electric after 2027, and schools must eliminate all gas or diesel vehicles by 2035. The act also bans gas stoves and barbecues and forces all commercial and residential HVAC systems to be electric. The mandate also targets private bus companies that service schools.
“This is a total disaster that's going to bankrupt our school districts,” said Senator Mario Mattera, who noted that at $400,000 per bus, the Kings Park District, for example, will have to spend over $27 million to replace its fleet, not to mention the costs to charge and maintain them.
Mattera, the ranking member of the Senate’s Energy and Communications Committee, pointed out that the existing infrastructure will not be able to handle the electric load required by the mandate. “The schools will need charging stations, and where is the energy going to be stored from the windmills and solar farms?” he wondered. “Battery storage is nothing but an experiment right now. It's going to cost trillions of dollars, not millions, and it's not going to work. It won't create enough electricity for what they're looking to do.”
“The smart thing would be to hit the pause button on this,” said Senator Dean Murray. “Let's get input from all sides on how this is going to work and if this can realistically be done. It should be done properly, rather than just doing it to meet an arbitrary deadline to make some politician look good. What they’re doing is setting deadlines for headlines,” he said, adding, “What you have to understand is that the entities have to budget accordingly. These school districts are being forced to budget for $400,000 buses, whether they own them or contract out. Either way, they will be hit with that cost, which means the taxpayers will be hit with that cost.”
Murray agreed with Senator Mattera that massive infrastructure changes will have to be made to make the plan work. “What they're also forgetting is it's not just a matter of buying these extremely expensive buses, but the equipment involved with running them,” Murray explained. “They have to change their bus yards. They have to put in charging stations and run the lines to bring in the electricity so multiple buses can be charged. All of these things have to happen in a very short period of time under their plan.”
“Electrifying all the school buses is just another government mandate Long Island can’t afford,” stated Assemblyman Joseph DeStafano. “As it stands, we already pay among the highest taxes in the nation, and our cost of living is through the roof thanks to Bidenflation and other Democrat policies. Can’t they just give us a break on something?” he asked, noting that Florida, which has more residents than New York and doesn’t have an income tax, spends half as much as the “Vampire State” to run its government.
Senator Mattera said he is pushing for better ways for the state to reduce its carbon footprint. “Air scrubbing technology can be fitted on existing power plants to eliminate emissions at a fraction of the cost of what they’re trying to do,” he said. “We have a massive supply of clean-burning natural gas right under our feet. We should use this resource to rebuild our economy instead of bankrupting school districts with electric bus mandates.”