Students and school bus drivers can’t hold their breath for clean air, and climate action can’t wait while our window of opportunity to avoid the worst impacts of climate change is quickly closing.
On hot days—and there will be more of those with global heating—air in Dallas is sometimes unsafe to breathe. The American Lung Association has consistently given Dallas County an air quality score of “F” for unhealthy ground-level ozone for repeatedly failing to meet federal health-based air standards. Some of the dirtiest air is inside diesel school buses where it can trigger asthma attacks, contribute to cancer, harm lung development, and reduce learning abilities. Dirty diesel buses and other fossil fueled buses need to be replaced with zero emissions electric buses.
Money from the 2018 Dallas ISD bond for $75 million to pay for the purchase of 600 new school buses and bus maintenance and operating facilities over the next 10 years has, so far, been spent only on new fossil fueled buses, despite repeated pleas from students, parents and community members to start buying electric buses with funds which would have paid 80% of the cost of electric buses and charging infrastructure in 2019.
This year, Dallas ISD needs to start the transition of its electric bus fleet from dirty diesels and other fossil fuels to clean, zero-emission electric buses with a complete 100% electric fleet no later than 2040, the date given in the City of Dallas Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan (CECAP). There are state, federal, and other funding opportunities which can help pay much of the upfront cost of electric school buses and Dallas ISD needs to be ready and quick to apply for those limited funds or it will lose out to others. Electric school bus fleet services can also provide an affordable way to get started. The cost of maintenance, operation and fueling electric buses is cheaper than for fossil fueled buses, and electric school buses with vehicle to grid capabilities can help provide resilience and bring down schools’ electricity cost.
Thanks to students, parents, teachers and community members for their advocacy and to Dallas ISD Trustees for support of climate action and environmental equity which led to passage of the Environmental & Climate Action Resolution for Dallas ISD in Spring 2020. The proposed goals, policies and ideas considered and policies put in place from those efforts are a good start. But the speed and scale of the efforts need to rapidly increase and broaden and an inclusive and transparent process through a standing Environmental and Sustainability Advisory Committee is needed to ensure faster, more effective, and equitable outcomes.
Good words need to become actions. The harms from delays are too great. Get started NOW with the electric school bus transition and fully electric schools with on-site solar on net-zero energy/net-zero carbon buildings and follow best practices to help make Dallas ISD Green, for a more livable future with cleaner, sustainable, and innovative career opportunities for the students.
GreeningDallasISD 