Opinion: Biden plan for electric school buses will deliver cleaner air

A school bus in Connecticut.

A school bus in Connecticut.

Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

It is no secret that Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris are big supporters of clean energy. Their campaign has pledged to achieve a 100 percent clean energy economy and reach net-zero emissions no later than 2050, a necessity in today’s warming world. But how will these campaign promises impact the residents of Connecticut?

One technology that will get a boost from a Biden presidency offers substantial benefits to the community — electric school buses. The Biden-Sanders Unit Task Force calls for transitioning the entire fleet of 500,000 school buses to American-made, zero-emission alternatives within five years. Electric school buses, like electric cars, are battery-powered. Compared to traditional, diesel-powered school buses, they have no tailpipe emissions. This innovative technology delivers cleaner air, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and lowers operational expenses.

The public health implication impacts could be substantial. For instance, in New Haven’s public-school system, buses travel more than 19,000 miles a day. During a school year, these buses release approximately 131 pounds of particulate matter, a harmful pollutant that causes a variety of health ailments, including childhood asthma.

Children are especially vulnerable to this particulate matter. As their lungs are still developing, they breathe in 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than adults. Studies have monitored young people’s exposure to air pollution on an average day and have found the greatest levels of exposure on trips to and from school occur while riding the bus.

This exposure is particularly concerning in New Haven, which is ranked nationally as the city with the seventh-highest asthma prevalence. The Connecticut School-based Asthma Surveillance Report 2014 found asthma impacts about 14.6 percent of school-aged children in New Haven, which is nearly double the national average asthma rate of 7.9 percent. We can support these children and achieve desired public health outcomes by adopting cleaner alternatives.

Electric school buses’ lack of tailpipe emissions also reduces their greenhouses gas emissions. The transportation sector, due to the reliance on fossil fuel combustion, is the leading source of American greenhouse gas emissions. Decarbonizing the transportation sector is a critical component of achieving urgent climate goals and is a central element of the Biden Plan for a Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice.

Electrifying vehicles, such as school buses, and charging them with increasingly low-carbon electricity, due to the retirement of coal plants and the increased adoption of renewable energy, is a viable pathway to substantial emission reductions. The electrification of school buses can also help reduce Connecticut’s transportation emissions and support the state’s climate goals.

In addition to reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, electric buses can also provide cost savings benefits. While electric school buses currently have significant price premiums relative to conventional diesel school buses, they can be cost-effective in the long run because they reduce fuel and maintenance expenses. Additionally, with a responsive grid, electric school buses can generate revenue by charging their batteries while electricity prices are low and selling energy back to the grid for a premium when prices are high.

While an entirely electrified school bus fleet may sound futuristic, the technology is already being adopted across the nation. Dominion Energy, an electric utility in Virginia, has ordered the deployment of 50 electric school buses, all with the ability to export power to the grid, for the 2020 school year. In California, where there are already well over 100 electric school buses on the road, the California Energy Commission has made the ability to export power to receive revenue a prerequisite for funding electric school buses.

Closer to home in White Plains, N.Y., there is an active pilot program with five electrified school buses that can export power to the grid. In Middletown, DATTCO, the local bus operator, committed to replacing a diesel school bus with an electric version. Utilities, school districts, bus operators and regulators across the U.S. are already realizing the financial, environmental and health benefits of electrifying student transportation.

The Biden-Harris campaign has outlined a cost-effective path to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Electrifying the nation’s school bus fleet is a clear win to achieve clean energy and environmental justice goals. New Haven and Connecticut deserve an investment in cleaner air and a brighter future. A vote for Biden-Harris puts our area one step closer to realizing that dream. If you are concerned about public health or our planet’s health, we recommend that you consider the benefits of voting for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on or before Nov 3.

Bridget Gilmore and Bill Pedersen are master of environmental management candidates at the Yale School of the Environment, studying clean energy and green finance.