Senator Patrick Diegnan continues to advance legislation designed to replace New Jersey’s diesel-powered school buses with electric counterparts, which will provide students with a healthier and more environmentally friendly mode of transportation.
Diegnan’ latest bill authorizes school districts to enter into extended contracts for the lease and purchase of electric school buses and the infrastructure that supports them for the service life of those vehicles.
The Senate and Assembly both approved Diegnan’s bill during today’s voting session at the State House, sending the legislation to Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk to be signed into law.
Diegnan’s legislation will make it easier for school districts to transition to electric school buses, whose sticker price can be nearly triple that of a new diesel bus.
Electric school buses are, however, cheaper to own over their lifetime than diesel alternatives due to myriad factors, including lower fuel and maintenance costs and the ability of school districts through vehicle-to-grid capability to sell electric buses’ stored energy back to a utility.
A University of Delaware study estimates one electric school bus could save a district about $230,000 over its 14-year lifespan.
Diegnan’s latest bill also permits the New Jersey School Boards Association to serve as a government aggregator to help local school districts obtain electric school buses and related goods and services.
The legislation follows a new state law, which Diegnan also sponsored, that requires the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to develop and implement an electric school bus pilot program.
The new law provides up to $45 million in funding over three years to replace diesel school buses with electric school buses in a minimum of 18 school districts, and for the installation of associated charging infrastructure across the state. School districts and school bus operators statewide had until last month to apply for the initial year of the grant program.
More than 800,000 New Jersey students ride to and from school during the academic year on one of the state’s 21,700 registered school buses, 99 percent of which run on fossil fuels. Many school districts also rely on buses to transport students to sporting events, band competitions, field trips, and other activities.
While providing vital transportation services, diesel buses negatively impact the health of students and residents of the communities in which they operate.
“Fossil-fueled buses are known to emit greenhouse gases and carcinogens, both of which contribute to climate change and threaten exposed individuals with elevated lifetime risks of developing cancer, asthma, and heart disease,” said Diegnan, who chairs the Senate Education Committee.
Children riding school buses are exposed to 4 to 12 times higher levels of toxic exhaust in comparison to individuals riding in a car, according to a report published in the Journal of Health Economics.
Implementing an electric school bus program presents promising opportunities for improving public health and decarbonizing New Jersey’s transportation sector, which is responsible for 37 percent of all emissions.
From passenger cars to tractor trailers, Murphy has established New Jersey as a leader for electric transportation.
“As a state, we have goals to significantly lower our carbon emissions and become a greener place to live,” Diegnan said. “Transitioning from the conventional diesel-fueled buses to those with zero emissions will significantly decrease our state’s pollution levels.”
Senator Patrick Diegnan 