(WBEN) - New York State lawmakers and advocates from the ElectrifyNY coalition rallied Tuesday morning via ZOOM for a pair of bills that continue to build upon the state's green initiative and ambitious reduced emissions goals.
The Green Transit, Green Jobs Act, sponsored by Senator Tim Kennedy and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz are bills that, if passed, will require all new transit bus purchases starting in 2029 to be of zero-emission buses (ZEB) and create contracting incentives for public transit agencies to procure these buses from manufacturers that utilize labor from high-need communities within New York State and create "good green jobs".
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"We're thinking about sustainable, innovative approaches that'll not only advance our state's progressive agenda, but will continue to underscore our commitment to high quality transportation and a greener environmentally just New York," said Senator Kennedy.
Kennedy says these bills will be discussed this Tuesday at the Senate Transportation Committee meeting.
WBEN asked Assemblyman Dinowitz on addressing safety concerns before passing the bills following Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority's electric buses being pulled this month due to a recall of the energy storage systems and electric bus fires, like the one that happened in Hamden, Connecticut as a result of lithium batteries.
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"We can't wait. We don't get our planet back after it's done, so we have to deal with this now," said Dinowitz. "The various transit systems wouldn't have to comply until 2029. So there is a little time we do have to address all safety considerations. As you may know, I have two bills with Senator Krueger, addressing the issue of batteries, ion lithium batteries. But yes, we have to address issues. But those issues can be dealt with without slowing down the process of doing what we have to do."