President Biden Says Electric-Powered School Buses Are Priority

The Democrats are pushing a $25 billion bill that would transition the nation's fleet of school buses to electric-powered vehicles.

It's part of President Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan which he sees as an important step to combating global warming. Also, they add studies have found diesel engine exhaust could contribute to respiratory illnesses in children, and they say it can be linked to poor academic performance.

They're calling it The Clean Commute for Kids Act. The legislation would release federal money to replace the gas and diesel-powered buses with electric-powered buses over a ten year period. It would cover the cost of buying the buses, installing charging stations, and staff training.

School buses take around 25 million kids to and from school daily, and they account for 90% of the nation's bus fleet. The Biden administration also wants to transition the public bus system into electric-powered vehicles.

The proposed bill has received support from groups like the American Federation of Teachers, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Environmental Law & Policy Center, the League of Conservation Voters, and the Union of Concerned Scientists.