Some of Oregon’s school buses travel no more than a few miles a day in densely packed urban areas. Some of Oregon’s school buses travel a hundred miles or more a day through remote areas.
Any transportation director will tell you that you need the right bus for the route in all kinds of weather to keep children safe.
House Bill 2945 would require school districts to purchase zero-emission buses in certain circumstances starting in 2027. OSBA has concerns for our rural school districts.
The Joint Transportation Committee held a public hearing Tuesday, April 15, on the -1 amendment to HB 2945. The amendment would prohibit school districts from expending funds from the State School Fund on diesel school buses if the total cost of ownership of a zero-emission bus is comparable to the total cost of ownership for a diesel bus, as determined by rule by the Department of Environmental Quality.
There are two exemptions to this requirement: If a zero-emission comparable bus is not available or if the bus will be used for travel outside the district and the range or charging infrastructure is impractical for such transport. The -1 amendment would allocate $20 million for financial assistance in the purchase or lease of zero-emission buses and $3 million for technical assistance to districts.
The -1 amendment addressed a couple of concerns, but I testified before the committee that problems remain.
The base bill prohibited school districts from using State School Funds for diesel buses when the “purchase” of a zero-emission bus was comparable to a diesel bus; the -1 uses the word “ownership.” This is an important distinction.
The cost to purchase a zero-emission bus (depending on the type of bus) is upward of twice the amount of a diesel bus. However, the cost to own a zero-emission bus is often cheaper than a diesel bus once the infrastructure is in place. If school districts are required to purchase zero-emission buses in 2027 because the cost of ownership is comparable to a diesel bus even if the purchase price is more, that will significantly increase the amount of State School Fund going to transportation, leaving less available for general purpose grants.
Additionally, the exemptions in the bill are quite narrow. Some of our districts span hundreds of miles where there is little to no infrastructure to support an electric bus. Under the -1 amendment, those districts would not be permitted to receive an exemption because the exemption requires the commute to be “out of district.”
We are still working on this bill.
Oregon is a unique state with a large number of districts in vastly different situations. As a statewide association, one of OSBA’s main advocacy jobs is to make sure legislators see the whole picture. In this case, a bus that might make sense on a suburban street might not be the right choice for a sparsely populated county road.
We will continue advocating for all our school districts to be able to make decisions that fit their circumstances.
– Adrienne Anderson
OSBA Government Relations Counsel
