Statement: Senate Budget Committee Advances Bill to Help Fund Transition to Electric School Buses

Environment New Jersey

Trenton – Today the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee passed S4077 which will require the NJDEP to create an electric school bus grant program to help school districts and school bus contractors transition from diesel to electric school bus fleets. Today, there are zero electric school buses in the state of New Jersey, although 77 have been granted out by the NJDEP through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and the Volkswagen Settlement. The bill passed unanimously through committee, and will now head to the full Senate for a vote.

Hayley Berliner, Clean Energy Advocate with Environment New Jersey issued the following statement:  

“Every child who rides the bus to school in New Jersey today is being exposed to toxic diesel exhaust, which we know causes serious health conditions. When this bill becomes a law, we’ll start to change that and get New Jersey on the path towards full school bus electrification. This should be the last generation of children who ever have to ride on dirty diesel school buses.”

“We’d like to thank Senators Diegnan and Greenstein for their leadership on this bill. We look forward to swift passage through the Senate.”

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