Assemblyman Jeff Gallahan (R,C-Manchester) joined Republican lawmakers and school superintendents in Albany on Tuesday to advocate for legislation that would allow rural school districts to opt out of New York State’s zero-emission school bus mandate. The event focused on Assembly Bill A.2005 and its companion Senate Bill S.3328, which propose waivers for districts facing significant challenges in implementing the all-electric bus requirement.
“Our rural school districts should have the option to opt out of the requirements of the zero-emission school bus mandate,” Gallahan said. “Many rural districts simply lack the electrical infrastructure needed to charge fleets of electric buses, and upgrading these facilities would impose tremendous financial burdens on schools.”
The statewide mandate, part of the state’s climate initiatives, requires all new school buses to be zero-emission by 2027, with full fleet conversion by 2035. Gallahan and other critics argue the timeline is unrealistic for rural districts without significant state assistance for infrastructure upgrades.
“Until Gov. Hochul acknowledges the widespread infrastructure upgrades needed to make the transition to all-electric buses work and takes action to help offset the costs imposed on school districts, this unrealistic transition is simply not feasible for many of our smaller, rural districts,” Gallahan stated.
Proponents of the waiver bill point to the high costs of installing charging stations, retrofitting bus garages, and maintaining electric fleets as barriers that could divert resources from educational programs.
Gallahan emphasized that school district budgets should prioritize student learning and school operations over absorbing the costs of transitioning to electric buses without sufficient state support. He called on the governor to address the financial strain on districts before moving forward with the mandate.
The proposed legislation seeks to balance the state’s climate goals with the practical limitations faced by rural communities, according to lawmakers at the press conference.
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