The doors folded shut, and with a soft whirring sound the big yellow bus accelerated across the parking lot and out onto Prospect Street.
There were no exhaust fumes, no groaning engine, and the loudest noise was the murmur of conversation from the crowd of adults who would not normally be the target demographic for such a conveyance.
"No pollution, it's super quiet," said Rich Tarapchak, an account manager for Duncannon-based Rorher Bus Company, which brought the electric bus to Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke to take part in a recent event spotlighting federal infrastructure investment, particularly in green technologies.
"It's better for the environment, better for the kids, better for everybody," Tarapchak said of the battery-powered school bus, which he said is representative of a type on order for some area districts, including Nanticoke and Scranton.
"Every time somebody sneezes in the Middle East, gas prices go up. That doesn't happen with electricity," said U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, (D-Moosic), keynote speaker at the event, adding that electric buses are less expensive to operate on a per-mile basis.
And federal infrastructure funding is making more of those buses available to school districts around the country.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website, the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program will provide $5 billion during fiscal years 2022-2026 to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models.
Under the program's multiple grant and rebate funding opportunities to date, the EPA has awarded almost $2 billion to fund approximately 5,000 school bus replacements at over 600 schools, the site states.
So far, $34 million has gone to districts in Pennsylvania said Dan Taylor, Appalachian regional field organizer for BlueGreen Alliance, a group that seeks to unite labor unions and environmental organizations. His group co-hosted the LCCC event.
Of that $34 million, $6 million went to the Greater Nanticoke Area School District last year for 15 electric buses, Taylor said.
"These are union-made buses, which is near and dear to my heart," Taylor said. "It's our core belief that we don't have to choose between having a clean environment and having good jobs."
Tarapchak said Roher has about 49 electric buses scheduled for delivery over the coming two months for use in Nanticoke, Scranton, and districts in Bradford and Potter counties.
"It's basically an electric version of the diesel bus. The body is pretty much the same," he said. But instead of a diesel engine the vehicles are powered by two batteries and have a range of about 139 miles.
"Typically school bus routes are short. So depending on the route, some might want to charge it every day. You could go maybe every other day," Tarapchak said. "But it really depends on the length of the routes."
And as a recent NPR report pointed out, a school district in Montana has found the vehicles reliable even amid intense sub zero weather.
Broader discussions
But funding for electric buses is just one benefit arising from the bipartisan infrastructure law promoted by the Biden Administration, Cartwright said.
One of his signature issues has been promoting plans for restoration of passenger rail service between Scranton and New York City, a long-held vision that he said is coming to fruition thanks to the infrastructure bill.
"For the longest time, people didn't really believe it was going to happen," Cartwright said. "And now with the funding, that's the key."
Passenger rail service between Scranton and Hoboken, N.J., across the Hudson River from New York, ended on Jan. 5, 1970. Efforts to restore service took a major step forward in December, when the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) included the project in its Corridor ID Program. Estimates have suggested the service could be running as early as 2028.
Other discussions included how colleges and universities can leverage federal investments to prepare students for 21st century jobs in green industries, and how all schools can benefit from greener infrastructure.
State Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, (D-Philadelphia), spoke about bipartisan legislation she sponsored that would leverage federal funding to enable schools to switch to solar power — helping to improve air quality while creating union jobs.
“We have a tremendous opportunity in front of us to take advantage of federal support for clean energy projects, and Pennsylvania can’t afford to miss this moment,” Fiedler said. “Under my Solar for Schools bill, the Inflation Reduction Act alone will cover 30-50% of project costs. That means our public schools can leverage a federal investment into millions in savings on energy bills for their districts.”
