On Wednesday, the Trump administration revealed that Vice President Kamala Harris would be leading an effort to convert all U.S. school buses to electric propulsion.
The project would employ approximately one billion dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act to fund refunds that will be given to school districts who acquire electric school buses. According to a fact sheet, the amount that the Biden administration would ultimately spend on the initiative is $5 billion.
The White House stated that more than 25 million students are transported in a secure manner every day across the United States by school buses. However, bus diesel exhaust contains pollutants and other contaminants that can harm children's lungs and make their asthma and other health conditions worse. In addition, exposure to diesel pollution has been related to an increase in the number of students who miss school.
According to the Philadelphia School District, which just added five new electric buses to its fleet, the average cost of an electric school bus is more than $370,000, making the $913 million that was given by the first funding round and distributed among 2,463 electric buses imply an average cost of more than $370,000 per vehicle. This is approximately twice as expensive as the usual diesel school bus. City officials in Philadelphia estimate a yearly fuel savings of almost $5,000.
At a ceremony in Seattle, Washington, when the school bus program was being unveiled, Harris made the following statement: When I think about what the experience should be for our children of coming to school on the school bus, I think about the reality that it should be about maximizing that experience for them, realizing that this bus signals so much about our collective investment in our future. Because, of course, it's about how we're putting our money toward the future of our kids and how we're making sure they're healthy and educated. And so, in this sense, our electric school bus program truly does represent an intersecting of all four aspects, in addition to the significance of investing in the nation's manufacturing sector.
The most recent results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that nine-year-old students' average reading scores have dropped five points, while nine-year-old students' average mathematics scores have dropped seven points. This has led to an increase in spending on electric school buses. According to a report compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics, this is the highest average score decrease in reading since 1990, while this is the first ever score decline in mathematics. [Citation needed]
In the forthcoming midterm elections, parental rights in education and the academic aftermath from government lockdowns, in which students across the country were ordered home to learn online for months on end, are expected to play a crucial role in both voter turnout and voter enthusiasm. According to the findings of a survey conducted by RealClear Opinion Research, approximately 74% of registered voters are in favor of parental control over their children's educational setting.
The Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden two months ago, will direct spending of $430 billion toward various projects that promote the use of renewable energy. According to another information sheet, the law authorizes tax credits of $7,500 for new electric vehicles and $4,000 for used electric vehicles, as well as tax credits of 30% for residential solar energy systems. These tax credits are in addition to other measures.
Critics of the White House energy agenda have pointed out that gasoline prices are rising at the same time that Vice President Joe Biden is pushing for renewable energy policies. This is occurring despite the fact that the White House is leasing the smallest amount of federal land for oil drilling since the end of World War II and that the Keystone XL pipeline project is not receiving any expansions. According to data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the general cost of energy had a year-over-year increase of approximately 20% between September 2021 and September 2022.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Daily Wire.
