One of the arguments Republicans have made against the state’s electric school bus mandate has been the cost to area school districts.

A top Democrat in the state Senate wants to address that criticism.

Sen. Shelley Mayer, D-White Plains and chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee, has introduced legislation (S.6221) that would allow school districts to access state building aid for building costs associated with the transition to zero-emission buses while also allowing additional building aid to school districts for storage and utility costs associated with the electric bus transition until the 2034-2035 school year.

“New York state law requires all school districts to transition to an all zero-emission electric school bus fleet by 2035,” Mayer wrote in her legislative justification. “The shift to zero emission buses will provide significant benefits to our students, school communities and state as a whole.

Replacing diesel and gas buses with electric buses reduces exposure of children to pollutants which can increase risk of asthma and otherwise harm children’s health and development. And the state’s law represents an important piece of our commitment to transitioning to a clean energy economy and drastically reducing our carbon emissions. While the benefits are myriad, school districts are navigating a whole host of new costs and logistical challenges as they plan for and begin to purchase or lease electric buses. These costs included necessary updates to school bus storage facilities.”

Mayer said the state should support school districts as they upgrade existing bus garages and power infrastructure, including modifying garages with more powerful lifts due to the increased weight of zero-emission buses, modifying garages to accommodate taller, longer buses and installing better electrical systems and fire suppression systems.

“Currently, districts cannot receive either building or transportation aid for these costs,” Mayer wrote.

Placing those burdens on school districts without additional state support has been a criticism from Republicans both locally and at the state level. Bemus Point voters will vote next week on a proposal to accept an EPA grant that will help pay the estimated $2.5 million in bus garage upgrades needed to purchase zero-emission buses with federal funding while state Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, said during joint legislative budget hearings that school superintendents throughout his district are concerned about bus garage upgrades associated with the 2035 zero-emission bus mandate.

Borrello, for his part, called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to delay the state’s 2027 deadline for school districts to begin purchasing electric school buses. Borrello has also introduced legislation (S.8467) in the state Senate to both eliminate the zero-emission bus mandate as well as authorize the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of converting school buses to zero-emission vehicles. Borrello specifically wants NYSERDA to analyze the conversion for rural, suburban and urban school districts.

“Overall, the electric bus mandate, like much of New York’s climate agenda, is being rushed into place without adequate funding, regional flexibility, or input from stakeholders. Those who stand to lose the most from this unfunded mandate are, once again, New York State taxpayers,” Borrello wrote in his legislative justification for S.8647. “In conclusion, this legislation seeks to facilitate a thorough and unbiased assessment of electric school bus feasibility, costs of infrastructure, and costs of upgrading or replacing, ensuring that future policies align with the practical considerations of our diverse settings in our state.”