The Biden Administration wants to make that noxious smoke from the school bus go away, and it's ready to give you some cash to do it. In a fact sheet released Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris revealed federal plans to dish out billions in funds to reduce emissions from buses and other large vehicles. The administration plans to give $17 million to the EPA to fund zero-emission and low-emissions school buses. Replacing old diesel school buses with newer electric versions will cost another $7 million from the American Rescue Plan. The administration will use $10 million from the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act to replace diesel school buses, though not necessarily electric, alternatives. Harris said during a press conference that the transportation sector has reached a turning point. Harris was joined on stage by a bus driver who claimed to have driven newer electric buses and noticed improvements for himself and passengers.
The driver said that electric buses are more comfortable and fuel efficient.
The Department of Transportation will use around $1.1 billion of the funds to purchase or lease lower emission public transit buses across the country. Though these buses may reduce emissions compared to the status quo guzzlers, they are not necessarily all-electric. Around 5% of the grants awarded in this new program will go towards training workforces to learn how to actually use and maintain these new vehicles.
A new set of strict emissions standards currently being finalized by the EPA could help push public transit in a cleaner direction. The new rules would set stronger greenhouse gas emissions standards for buses and other heavy-duty vehicles, which make up nearly one-quarter of all greenhouse gasses attributed to U.S. transportation. EPA estimates show that transportation accounts for more greenhouse gas emissions than any other sector. According to the administration, a full shift towards zero emissions in the nation's heavy-duty fleet could prevent 2,000 deaths per year and eliminate 18,000 cases of asthma.
The grants will help build a better America by sending a signal to industry and communities that low and zero-emissions vehicles are the future.
If successful, a shift away from gas-burning school buses and other heavy-duty trucks in the public sector would go a long way towards achieving the Biden administration's goal of having all federal agencies purchase 100% zero-emission vehicles by 2035. The administration has a goal of ensuring at least half of new cars sold in the U.S. are electric by the year 2030.
Even though allocating funds and setting timelines are important, they don't guarantee that every agency will approach electrification with the same enthusiasm. The U.S. Postal Service decided to replace most of its aging postal truck fleet with shitty, gas-guzzling clunkers instead of electric alternatives. Despite pleas from the EPA and pro-EV lawmakers, the USPS split gas to electric vehicle.
On Monday, Harris, Reagan, and other regulators said they were optimistic and celebrated what they saw as history in real-time.
These proposals are just the first steps on the way to a zero-emissions future.
Getting the ball moving might just require breaking out a few champagne glasses, given the U.S.' long history of ignoring climate proposals.
EartherEnvironmental Policy
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