Bill making electric school buses an option for districts passes through first committee
A bill making electric school buses an option for New Mexico school districts passes its first committee Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (Shelby Kleinhans for Source NM)
Lawmakers passed a bill through committee Thursday that would give school districts throughout New Mexico the choice of replacing traditional diesel school buses with zero emission alternative fuel buses.
House Bill 32 received a 7-4 party line vote through the House Transportation, Public Works and Capital Improvements Committee Thursday morning.The House Education Committee will hear the bill next.
Along with giving the state's school districts a choice of the type of school buses they want for their students, the bill would also require the Public Education Department to provide districts with funding comparable to the cost of a diesel bus to assist in the purchase of electric buses. Alternative fuel buses typically cost more than double what diesel buses do, according to the NM Voices for Children Action Fund.
Funding for electric school buses could be coming to a school district near you
Cosponsor Sen. Bill Soules (D-Las Cruces) said multiple times during the meeting that the bill does not necessarily advocate for electric buses, but is a 'mechanism' for giving districts a choice and funding support if they do choose alternative fuel vehicles.
'It doesn't tell districts you need to buy buses,' Soules told Source NM. 'It just makes sure that whatever you were going to spend on diesel buses, you can spend that same amount to backfill the difference in price on electric buses
Despite this, people representing several nonprofit and environmental advocacy groups spoke in support of the bill, including the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter, Vida Mejor Capital, Moms Clean Air Force and Health Climate New Mexico.
Santiago Hardy (Jemez Pueblo / Diné), a youth intern with NM Native Vote, said he graduated from Native American Community Academy in Albuquerque where he had negative experiences riding a traditional bus to and from school.
'The smell of the exhaust would seep into the bus making me feel nauseous, which would affect my schoolwork. Electric school buses would fix this problem and create a safe and sustainable environment for everyone,' Hardy said. 'Transitioning to electric school buses would benefit my younger siblings and generations of students to come and the environment.'
Jacob Herbster, transportation coordinator for Dulce Independent Schools in Rio Arriba County, said the district has two electric buses in their fleet purchased through the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean School Bus Program and they are 'thoroughly impressed.'
'We are already seeing a positive impact on our fuel budget,' Herbster told lawmakers.
Rep. Rebecca Dow (R-Truth or Consequences) questioned the benefit of electric buses in her district which covers a large expanse of rural area. Soules said districts where electric buses don't make sense don't have to take advantage of what the bill is trying to do.
'I get a little frustrated when lots of the questions then that we get are about 'well I'm in a rural district and electric buses won't work for us.' And I'm like fine, this bill doesn't affect you,' Soules told Source NM.
Several committee members questioned the need for a law to make alternative fuel buses an option for districts and pointed to making changes to the state procurement code instead.
'We're living in a time where things are codified in law and rules are still being made and people are being taken to court at the expense of taxpayers,' Rep. Gail Armstrong (R-Magdalena) said. 'All I can hear in the back of my mind is the EV mandate that was done by rule in the state of New Mexico that has been detrimental to our auto dealers and I can see this coming for school buses.'
Senate Bill 49, which proposes $340 million in appropriations from the community benefit fund, includes $60 million to the Public School Facilities Authority for electric vehicle charging infrastructure and cost difference for upgrading diesel buses to electric. The bill is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Conservation Committee on Feb. 8. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
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