Republican lawmakers want an avenue for New York’s school districts to opt out of the zero-emission school bus requirement imposed by state law. Per a provision approved in the executive budget for fiscal year 2023, all school districts are required to purchase only zero-emission school buses starting in 2027. By 2035, the legislation prescribes, all buses in use by New York schools must be electric. Republicans in the state Legislature attempted to repeal the mandate last year, raising concerns about the high cost of the electric vehicles and the infrastructure updates that would be necessary to support them.
