Senator Walczyk joins fellow Republican colleagues in calling on Governor Hochul to reconsider electric school bus mandates

ALBANY, NY- New York State is preparing to roll-out mandates that will eventually transform all statewide school bus fleets from fuel to electric.

The ultimate deadline is 2035, with earlier deadlines approaching quickly, including one of the first ones come 2027 that will ban schools from purchasing any additional busses powered by gas and/or diesel.

With the next legislative session on the horizon, some lawmakers, including those who represent the North Country, continue echoing their cries for the Governor to seriously reconsider the timeline of fully switching from fuel to electric.

“School leaders I'm talking to are concerned about making up for the education gap shutdowns left behind, enrollment decline, quality instruction, and educating the next generation of leaders and employees," Walczyk said.

"Nobody wants battery-buses. Nobody asked for battery-buses. Nobody thinks the Governor's battery-bus plan is based in reality."

Walczyk says he is concerned that the 49th Senate District will have a difficult time footing the bill for this mandate.

NYSERDA estimates show that there’s 45,000 school buses in New York, which translates to a $20 billion price tag for converting every bus in every school district across the state by the 2035 deadline, Walczyk claimed.

According to Walczyk’s office, the average electric bus costs $400,000.

Meanwhile, voters in school districts statewide have had opportunities to accept or strike down EPA grants, which have been offered to school districts statewide for the first round of electric school busses.

Senator Mark Walczyk image.