Guest opinion: Alabama should get on the (electric) school bus

This is a guest opinion column

Remember the school bus you rode as a kid? As soon as it took off, a large cloud of black smoke would billow from the tailpipe. The noxious fumes leaked in through the windows, filling the bus with diesel exhaust.

There is a mountain of data that show the harmful long-term health effects of that exhaust. And yet, in Alabama our children are still riding the same kind of dirty, diesel-powered buses we rode as kids. We have the ability to do better, because we know more about the health effects of diesel than our parents did.

We’ve known for 20 years that diesel exhaust contains pollutants that are linked to asthma and other respiratory problems as well as cancer. Newer research suggests that exhaust can harm the brain and affect learning. Schoolkids get a concentrated dose of these toxic chemicals: a child riding inside a diesel school bus may be exposed to four times the level of diesel exhaust as someone riding in a car ahead of it.

Low-income kids and children of color are hurt the most, because they often live in communities with lots of air pollution – so school buses add to their burden of toxic exposures. And kids from low-income families are disproportionately exposed to diesel exhaust: 60% ride a bus to school, as opposed to 45% of students from wealthier families.

In addition to knowing more about the health effects of diesel buses, we now have better technology. Electric buses offer a cleaner, healthier alternative to diesel. They don’t produce tailpipe emissions, and the amount of greenhouse gas they produce is minimal.

So, why haven’t we replaced our dirty diesel buses with clean electric ones?

The first hurdle is always the same. Some will ask: “Is the technology proven?” Well, it’s been 15 years since Tesla released one of the first commercially available electric cars. Tesla is now one of the most highly valued companies in the world. Electric vehicles are increasingly used by businesses and the federal government, which is considering an all-electric fleet. Right here in Anniston, New Flyer is producing state-of-the-art electric buses on its high-tech assembly line. It’s safe to say that this technology has come of age.

The second hurdle is a big one: money. In Alabama and across the U.S., it will be expensive to replace our diesel buses with electric models. Moreover, school districts have established infrastructure around diesel vehicles, including mechanics and service contracts. Retooling that infrastructure for electric buses will be no small feat.

But here’s a secret: electric buses are cheaper to maintain than their diesel counterparts ($.19 vs $.82 per mile), so they could save money in the long run. And there is federal money available to make the switch. The 2021 infrastructure bill directed the Environmental Protection Agency to award $5 billion through 2026 for zero- or low-emission school bus purchases. Rural, low-income and tribal school districts are prioritized for funding through the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program. And the EPA is partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Transportation to provide technical assistance to districts that want to go electric.

Last year, nearly 400 school districts were awarded a total of nearly $1 billion through the Clean School Bus Program to add more than 2,400 electric-powered buses to their fleets. But a glance at the map of awards shows that Alabama is lagging behind in applying for – and receiving – those federal grants (though a handful of Alabama school districts are on the waiting list.)

Why?

Short-sighted school boards, for one. School board members are typically elected every 3 to 5 years. Some avoid the optics of voting to make education more expensive because they won’t be around to see the long-term benefits of that change.

Second, the State of Alabama doesn’t really want electric school buses. Well, technically, they want just 10% of the state’s school buses to be powered by alternative fuel). Whatever their reasons for discouraging the widespread adoption of electric buses, it will harm our children’s health in the long run.

Third, remember that those most impacted by toxic diesel fumes are low-income kids and children of color. The powers that be in Montgomery are less likely to have kids who ride the bus, and less likely to have kids with asthma. Until the people making the rules are affected, real change won’t occur.

It’s time for all Alabamans to acknowledge that there’s a problem with the way we transport our kids. Parents, local school boards, state education departments, and the federal government should all become invested partners in solving this problem.

If our kids’ health is a priority, if climate change is a priority, and if equity is a priority, we need to make the switch to clean, electric school buses. A school bus initiative that requires the switch and sets a deadline – with financial support from local, state, and federal governments -- would be a great place to start.

Dr. George Crawford MD is the founder and lead surgeon at The Crawford Clinic in Anniston, Alabama. In addition to running his multi-specialty clinic, Dr. Crawford sits on the board of trustees of the North East Regional Medical Center. He is a 2023 Climate Health Equity Fellow through the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health.