There is evidence that children are particularly susceptible to the negative health impacts of diesel exhaust [1]. The exhaust from diesel-burning school buses puts students and the bus drivers at risk for lasting serious conditions such as asthma and cancer, as well as negative cognitive development impacts [2]. This effects the 25 million children in our country who travel on school buses over four billion miles each year [3]. Diesel-burning school buses emit high levels of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, directly contributing to climate change that increasingly threatens our children’s future. It is important to note that communities of color face higher on road air pollution, and students from Black and Latino households, low-income students, and students with disabilities are all more likely to ride the school bus than their counterparts and are therefore at more risk [4].
Today, over 90% of the school buses on the road are powered by diesel [5]. Each year the public is given the opportunity to vote in their school budgets to replace buses for their districts. We propose that every school district include several electric buses as part of the budget. There are large subsidies now offered to school districts to make electric school buses affordable and we urge all districts to include electric buses as part of their school budget for this year. NYSERDA will help districts research and apply for subsidies [6].
Please take our children’s and future generation’s health seriously and urge your school boards right away to include replacing foul diesel buses for electric school buses. The CNNY Group and Energy21 has been running zoom Informationals which have been very well attended. If you have missed the past sessions and would like more information, please reach out to Rhea Jezer.
1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5976105/
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5976105/
3. https://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/benefits-clean-school-buses#ESB-Benefits
4. https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/inequitable-exposure-air-pollution-vehicles
5. https://www.wri.org/insights/where-electric-school-buses-us
6. https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Electric-School-Buses