Building Better School Buses: CE4AEF’s Feb. 23 Event with EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe
Watch the event recording here.
More than 25 million children ride the bus to school and back home, and most of those buses run on dirty fuels like diesel. Thankfully, that’s starting to change. The Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act, passed last year, allocated $5 billion to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help schools switch to new electric and low-emission buses—creating jobs in American communities and reducing children’s’ exposure to toxic tailpipe pollution.
On February 23, CE4A’s affiliate Clean Energy for America Education Fund co-hosted with Moms Clean Air Force a conversation about transitioning to cleaner school buses. The event participants were Janet McCabe, EPA deputy administrator, Molly Rauch, public health director of Moms Clean Air Force, and Chris Bailey, a president at the EV company Proterra.
They explained the importance of including school buses in America’s clean energy transition pointing out that school buses basically deliver toxic tailpipe pollution door-to-door in nearly every neighborhood in America
Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe described the health impacts. "Widespread adoption of electric buses will significantly reduce pollution. It's an amazing public health investment that will have immediate impacts and longer term impacts."
Chris Bailey pointed to the money to be gained for school districts. "When you look at the savings of switching, there's approximately $1.5 billion in annual savings in fuel alone, and when you tack in the maintenance...you get closer to $2 billion in annual savings.” He also pointed to the national costs of inaction. “The cost of waiting will be measured in billions of gallons of fuel burned and metric tons of pollution.”
Molly Rauch explained the importance of reducing carbon pollution to combat climate change. “We are seeing the impacts right now, in our families, in our homes, in our communities, and we want solutions. Decarbonizing school buses is one way to start slashing...carbon pollution.” She also urged the audience: Tell your communities this matters to you.
Communities can switch to clean, EV school buses with the help of federal dollars. And, Congress can and should continue investing in clean energy. We can’t afford to wait.
