Sauquoit Valley board rejects buses — for now
The federal and state governments are giving out millions in grants and rebates to help school districts cover the costs of converting their transportation fleets to electric school buses. So far, though, only one district in Oneida County has received one of these grants.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced May 31 that it was giving Sauquoit Valley Central School District a $200,000 grant through its Clean School Bus Rebate program.
The EPA announced nearly $96 million going to 47 districts or geographic areas in New York City to purchase between one and 25 buses.
But Sauquoit Valley won’t get its first electric school bus, at least not this year. The school board voted against making the purchase. The grant will still be available next year, though, should the school board decide to make the purchase then, Superintendent David Stayton said.
Soon, neither Sauquoit Valley nor any other district will have a choice. Starting in 2027, school districts will be required to purchase only zero-emission school buses and by 2035, all buses will have to be zero emission, according to a requirement included in the state budget passed in April 2022.
Technically zero emissions could also include hydrogen fuel cell powered buses, but none are available now or are expected to be on the market in the near future, according to NYSERDA.
Districts, in the meantime, have to learn how to operate and maintain the electric buses, get the charging infrastructure for them in place and figure out other details. For example, Sauquoit Valley’s bus garage only leaves about 2 inches of clearance for its current fleet and he’s heard that electric buses might be a bit taller, Stayton said.
“I think we’re all kind of hoping that the state relaxes the timeline,” he said. “We’re not opposed to it; it’s just, I think, the timeline has everyone concerned.”
In Herkimer County, the Owen D. Young Central School District was awarded a $200,000 EPA grant toward the purchase of one electric bus.