Assemblyman Andrew Molitor (R,C-Westfield) stood with members of the Assembly and Senate Minority Conferences as well as local superintendents today, January 28th, 2025 at a press conference highlighting Assemblyman Robert Smullen’s (R,C-Mohawk Valley and the Adirondacks) bill (A.2005) allowing school districts to opt out of the zero-emission school bus requirements being implemented across the state. Many regions in New York are unable to comply with the mandate because the costs are too high, EV buses will not reliably meet school district needs, and there are legitimate safety concerns. “I am happy to co-sponsor Assemblyman Smullen’s bill, which would permit school districts to opt-out of this unrealistic mandate.”

Molitor criticized the electric school bus mandate, calling it an example of a bad law. “New York produces less than 1% of all carbon dioxide produced in the world, why bring school districts and property taxpayers to their financial knees when our state’s emissions will have no impact on world climate?” Molitor noted that there is a remarkable hypocrisy in the law as well, “It is wrong to impose this mandate on school districts and property taxpayers starting in 2027 when New York’s State owned vehicles are not mandated to convert to electronic-only until 2040. Until we have the capacity to efficiently, effectively, and safely implement these mandates, there should be a pause, if not a complete repeal of these laws.”