Virginia delegate proposes bill to convert diesel school buses to electric by 2030

RICHMOND, Va. (WSET) --A Virginia delegate has filed a bill that would convert diesel school buses to electric by 2030.

House Bill 1140, which was drafted with significant input fromMothers Out Front (MOF), sets up a new block grant program which would allow school districts to seek funding to help replace their current diesel school buses with electric ones, as well as expenses for infrastructure support, according to a press release from MOF.

“Transitioning from diesel to zero-emission buses will have a measurable positive effect on our children’s health and their future in the face of climate change,” said Delegate Keam, a Democratic lawmaker representing Fairfax County in the state legislature. “I want to thank Mothers Out Front for working with me on this sensible solution that protects our kids’ health while addressing the climate crisis.”

According to the release, HB1140 gives weight to applicants located in areas that have higher asthma rates and the lowest air quality so that school districts can benefit first from the improved air quality.

“Our kids’ health and their future cannot wait another year for conversion of these dirty, polluting school buses,” said Julie Kimmel, co-leader of MOF Fairfax. “Diesel fumes are concentrated up to six times more inside a school bus than outside. When I see that big plume of black smoke coming out of the back of a school bus, then imagine that multiplied by six and my child sitting on that bus for over two hours a day, I know this must change. This is hurting our kids’ lungs and their brain development, not to mention their future because it contributes to climate change.”

The Clean School Bus Grant Fund would:

• Award grants from the Fund on a competitive basis to school boards for (a) the complete replacement of existing diesel school buses with electric school buses no later than 2030, (b) the implementation of recharging infrastructure or other infrastructure needed to charge or maintain such electric school buses and (c) workforce development and training to support the maintenance, charging, and operation of such electric school buses
• Develop education outreach to promote the Program

“We simply cannot stomach the purchase of one more diesel school bus in our state,” said Bobby Monacella, co-leader MOF Fairfax. “The IPCC says we have ten years to drastically reduce greenhouse emissions to avoid the worst effects of climate change, so locking ourselves into the 15-year lifespan of a diesel bus is insane. Virginia school districts need the ability to apply for money to pay the difference between a diesel school bus and an electric school bus and install the necessary infrastructure to make this conversion as soon as possible. HB1140 gives us the ability to do so. We are so thankful to Delegate Keam for his dedication to our children’s health and their future.”

The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2030.