Thursday, October 1, 2026
As the deadline for school districts to begin purchasing zero-emission school buses loomed, state lawmakers rightfully hit the brakes by delaying the mandate for five years.
The reasons are as clear as they are daunting: the electric grid isn’t ready, charging infrastructure remains scarce compared with ambitious state targets, and the upfront cost of a single electric bus can be triple that of a traditional one.
For Long Island school districts already grappling with a high tax burden and unique cost-of-living challenges, this represents yet another significant financial strain that would fall squarely on local taxpayers.
State leaders should be lauded for recognizing these realities. But as officials continue to debate these and other changes to the state’s climate law, we can’t fall into an either-or trap, just as we can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
New York already has a solution that has been in use for decades, and is easily deployed: renewable liquid fuels.
Transitioning the existing school bus fleets to renewable diesel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 86 percent immediately. Unlike electric buses, which require specialized chargers and rely on our dangerously thin electric grid, renewable diesel works in the engines we already own. It requires no costly equipment overhauls, no new infrastructure, and performs reliably in cold New York winters.
While the state waits years for the grid to catch up, municipal leaders are already proving that renewable liquid fuels — biodegradable fuel manufactured domestically from vegetable oils, animal fats and recycled restaurant grease — can deliver significantly carbon reduction today without breaking the bank.
New York City is leading the way, having transitioned its fleet of garbage trucks, emergency vehicles and other heavy-duty machines to renewable diesel in 2024, a move expected to prevent 162 million pounds of carbon dioxide from entering our air annually. Officials aim to complete the conversion of all city-owned vehicles this summer.
New York became the first state in the Northeast to offer the fuel to state agencies, authorities, schools, municipalities and nonprofits in 26 counties, including Nassau and Suffolk. Still, too few are availing themselves of this resource.
And while much of today’s conversation centers on delays in transportation electrification, concerns about the pace and practicality of electrification are also growing in the homes and buildings sectors, as well as budget-strapped public facilities — especially our schools.
Consider a high school in Brooklyn where administrators recently replaced traditional heating oil with the renewable fuel alternative, making it the first school in New York City to convert to a heating system running entirely on biofuels. This historic transition to cleaner renewable fuels proves that giving schools and other institutions the flexibility they need to adopt a range of clean-energy solutions — not just electrification — is how the state can continue to make meaningful climate progress while keeping energy reliable and at a manageable price point.
This common-sense approach is what New Yorkers are demanding as they navigate a punishing economy. With affordability continuing to be top of mind and the state grid operator warning of a razor-thin reliability margin that leaves Long Island particularly vulnerable to blackouts, a pragmatic, cost-effective approach to making environmental progress today is the smart approach for the region’s school districts and the taxpayers and families who support them.
The debate in Albany often presents a false choice between a costly mandate and a climate delay. But a true all-of-the-above approach to energy options being advanced by Gov. Kathy Hochul and some legislators can find an effective middle ground when the right tools are brought into the mix.
The grid will catch up eventually, but our environment and hardworking Long Islanders can’t afford to wait. It’s time to choose the solutions that work today.
Rocco J. Lacertosa is CEO of the Hauppauge-based New York State Energy Coalition.
