Putnam Asks NYS to Pull the Plug on EV Bus Mandate

By Holly Crocco

The county is pushing back against a mandate from Albany that would require all school districts across the state to begin purchasing zero-emission (electric) buses by 2027, with a full transition away from traditional buses by 2035 – a measure that would cost districts multi-millions.

“Residents in Putnam County and throughout the Hudson Valley are facing a serious affordability crisis – one that is causing families to make hard choices over which bills to pay and how to put food on the table,” said Legislator Bill Gouldman, R-Putnam Valley, during the Legislature’s March 30 Audit Committee meeting, where he introduced a resolution in opposition to the mandate.

“This is really unrealistic, unaffordable, and doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

Not only are electric buses more expensive than traditional buses, but, according to Gouldman, the county doesn’t have the infrastructure needed to support such an overhaul, such as charging stations, heated bus garages with charging stations, and battery surplus storage – and the state isn’t supplying funding to support the mandate.

“We don’t’ have to abandon clean energy, but we have to do it in a manner that make sense and in a timeframe that is realistic,” he said.

So far, the Putnam Valley, Carmel, and Mahopac school districts have officially opposed the mandate.

“Simply put, if this goes into effect, school taxes will go up, and none of us can afford this,” said Gouldman.

Legislator Jake D’Angelo, R-Carmel, agreed.

“I think it’s left-wing nonsense,” he said. “The cost of living is absolutely out of control right now and to force taxpayers to foot the bill of virtue signaling in Albany is just ridiculous… This is going to bankrupt school districts. We’re going to tax people out of their homes – as if they aren’t already being taxed out of their homes.”

Legislator Laura Russo, R-Patterson, said that while the goal to have all zero emission vehicles “way in the future” is understandable, the timeline is not.

“I don’t think anybody – state, county, federal, or towns – has the capability of doing this now,” she said. “I know we’re all struggling with electric bills. I drive home and park my car, and I thank God I don’t have to plug it in, after looking at my NYSEG bill.”

Legislator Nancy Montgomery of Philipstown – the only Democrat on the board – said the county has spent decades putting off a plan to migrate to electric vehicles.

“The fact is we’ve been looking at this since the 70s and it’s the Republican legislatures that have been denying it, therefore we do not have the infrastructure that we need for this legislation now,” she said.

Further, Montgomery said the resolution leaves out the fact that “significant” federal and state funding has been available for infrastructure and buses throughout the years.

“So, ‘unfunded mandate’ is not exactly accurate,” she said. “There has been significant funding. Other districts have accessed that funding, so we should be asking ourselves why we haven’t, or how can we, instead of just saying no.”

The lawmaker cited the state’s Municipal Zone-Emission Rebate Program, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program, the New York School Bus Incentive Program through the New York State Energy & Research Development Authority, and even the JOBS Act as avenues to apply for funding.

“For years this county has been very hesitant to engage in climate and fleet transition planning and we’ve left that money on the table,” said Montgomery, who noted that state legislators are advocating for more funding. “It would be irresponsible for us to just close the door before we’ve explored solutions.”

Putnam Valley School Board Trustee Sam Oliverio Jr., a former Democratic legislator, implored the governing body to pass the resolution.

“We’re not talking about a car, we’re talking about a bus that carries children,” he said. “A bus that costs $475,000 compared to a hybrid at $225,000, or a gas-powered at $185,000.”

According to Oliverio, Putnam Valley Schools has three hybrid vans, which can still run on gas if the batteries die.

“We like hybrid – that’s the way to go,” he said. “People are being killed by the school taxes… As far as grants and anything else, it’s miniscule. We’ve gone and applied and the costs were still double what we would pay for any other bus.”

Oliverio also noted that going electric in New York State won’t make a pinprick in the global climate.

“These buses are not going to change the climate one iota – not until countries like Pakistan, India, China, countries in Africa stop burning coal and oil,” he said. “We can be the cleanest nation in the world; it’s not going to help this planet until we stop the mass deforestation of the Amazon – knocking down all those trees and breeding animals that put methane and everything else in the air. This stupid mandate is not going to save anything.”

Legislator Amy Sayegh, R-Mahopac Falls, agreed.

“Even if the State of New York went to zero emissions, it would have zero impact,” she said. “But it will have a massive impact on our school districts, on our municipalities, on our businesses.”

Brewster School Board Trustee Scott Seaman said studies have shown that it would cost Brewster roughly $36 million, with state incentives, to switch over to an all electric fleet; it would cost Carmel and Mahopac about $38 million.

“That’s for the whole nut,” he said, meaning the buses and infrastructure.

And infrastructure upgrades would definitely be needed, since the electric buses are much heavier than gas-powered vehicles, and not build for local roads, he said.

“They’re probably two to three times heavier, so there’s more wear and tear on the roads, and a lot of our curbing and stuff on the roads are not designed to stop them,” said Seaman. “It is the best thing for our students to get them out of gas buses and fuming buses. Fine. It’s on the timeline –  to think we can replace, in New York State, 700 school districts, roughly 10,000 school buses… That’s $3.5 billion.”

The committed voted unanimously to move the resolution to the next meeting of the full Legislature for a vote.