Former military officials express national security concerns over Biden’s EV plans
A coalition of 17 former military officials — including multiple one, two and three-star officers — have sounded the alarm about the implications of electric vehicle (EV) adoption on U.S. national security. In a letter addressed to President Joe Biden and EPA Director Michael Regan, the veterans expressed concerns that current administration policies incentivizing EV adoption may increase the nation’s reliance on China.
The group asserts that the Biden administration’s actions related to EVs are making the U.S. more vulnerable to political interference and economic manipulations by the Chinese Communist Party.
“We would be exposing our economy and national security interests if we consciously link America’s economic and transportation stability to the enterprise of a country you yourself described as an economic ‘ticking time bomb,’” the veterans wrote to Biden.
The former armed services personnel highlighted Beijing’s dominance in the global EV landscape, being the leading exporter of both electrified vehicles and the materials used in their production. The White House committed to a goal of ensuring that half of all car purchases are electric by 2030. The veterans argued that such an objective is too ambitious and could have severe consequences given China’s influence over the industry.
“This trajectory will only position the U.S. to become more reliant on China for critical minerals and manufacturing that are necessary for the rapid expansion of EV markets this administration envisions,” the veterans wrote. “We do not believe now is the time for us to make ourselves vulnerable to such easy political pressures.”
While acknowledging the potential significance of EVs in the future of U.S. transportation, the veterans urged the Biden administration not to push the transition ahead until the necessary EV infrastructure has been built out domestically.
“There is no doubt EVs will play a significant role in diversifying America’s transportation systems,” they wrote. “Yet we believe your plans will rush our transition to EVs before the infrastructure necessary to support it is in place.”
US electric school bus adoption hits new high, detractors debate practicality
More electric school buses are set to hit American roadways than ever before, jumping by more than 200% since the start of 2022. There are now electric school bus commitments in 49 states, simulated by an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rebate program, which awarded over $900 million for thousands of these vehicles across the nation.
“This investment will transform how millions of students get to school each and every day. It will help clean the air we breathe, protect public health and tackle the climate crisis,” said Michael Regan, administrator of the EPA. “These efforts will help build a better America by sending a strong signal to the industry and communities that zero-emission vehicles, they are the future.”
This initiative is part of the $5 billion earmarked within the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models by 2026. The EPA projects that come 2027, nearly one-third of all school buses will be electric.
To keep up with growing demand, Blue Bird — one of the nation’s oldest school bus manufacturers — is investing millions in a new Electric Vehicle Build-up Center. The company hopes this new facility will help increase their production capacity from four electric buses per day to 20. Doing so would ultimately allow Blue Bird to output around 5,000 of these vehicles annually, more than quadrupling the number it currently has in operation.
“Based on the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law alone we anticipate thousands of additional electric school bus orders valued at an estimated $1 billion over five years,” said Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. “Our new EV Build-up Center reflects Blue Bird’s steadfast commitment to school districts across the U.S. and Canada to meet increasing demand and deliver clean, safe and reliable student transportation when they need it.”
Experts say there are a number of potential benefits from this coming transition to electric school buses. A study by the World Resources Institute found that electrifying the full school bus fleet in the United States by 2030 would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 9 million metric tons per year, the equivalent of taking 2 million cars off the roads.
Because electric school bus motors create no tailpipe emissions, they reduce students’ exposure to dangerous air pollutants. That keeps students safe from the serious physical dangers of diesel exhaust pollution.
Electric School Bus Initiative
“Because electric school bus motors create no tailpipe emissions, they reduce students’ exposure to dangerous air pollutants,” the Electric School Bus Initiative said. “That keeps students safe from the serious physical dangers of diesel exhaust pollution. Reducing students’ exposure to air pollution from school buses has been shown to have positive and significant effects.”
Each electric school bus produces less than half the greenhouse gas emissions of their diesel or propane-powered counterpart. They also offer reduced health risks when compared to the over 40 toxic air contaminants that exhaust fumes from diesel buses contain.
“Diesel engine exhaust is carcinogenic to humans, based on sufficient evidence that exposure is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer,” said the American Lung Association. “Clean, electric school buses are better for kids’ health. School bus electrification is an important part of making the air healthier for everyone, especially children.”
Electrifying bus fleets also can save school districts money in the long-run, at an average of $6,000 every year on operational expenditures. Duncan McIntyre, CEO of Highland Electric Fleets — a company contracting services for electric school buses — said the maintenance costs are “probably about a third of the cost of a combustion engine vehicle.”
However, opponents of the movement say a mass adoption of electric school buses still is not practical. While the cost of maintaining these buses is less than those with combustion engines, their upfront expense is three to four times higher, coming with a price tag of around $350,000 to $450,000.
“If I have to replace my entire fleet of buses, and let’s say the most expensive bus I have is $160,000, to replace everything with a bus that’s going to cost $400,000, that’s huge, that’s really significant to our budget,” said Mellissa Mulvey, a school superintendent in western New York.
Additional concerns include the range of the batteries, which are capped at around 100 miles, making longer commutes or field trips difficult with an electric school bus. Newer models are being developed with batteries that will allow them to travel greater distance in an effort to alleviate some of these fears.
“If somebody handed me an endless amount of money and said ‘electrify your entire fleet tomorrow,’there will be some routes that would be challenging to electrify today,” said Boston School District’s Deputy Director of Transportation Jacqueline Hayes. “But we’re pretty confident that technology is going to get there in the next five years.”
Meanwhile, rural communities have also voiced opposition due to the scarcity of EV chargers and the toll electric school buses would take on their local power grid. The EPA has said it will prioritize funding for these rural districts and others that are most in need of assistance.
EPA will prioritize applications that will replace buses serving low-income, rural and Tribal communities.
Environmental Protection Agency
“EPA will prioritize applications that will replace buses serving low-income, rural and Tribal communities,” the EPA said in a statement. “Large school districts with communities of concentrated poverty also will be prioritized if their application focuses on clean school buses serving those communities.”
Officials hope that those government funds will help clear these hurdles, making charging technology more widely available and reducing the costs faced by school districts. Solving this issue comes with a ticking clock, as more and more states are now setting deadlines to mandate the purchase of only electric school buses going forward.
EPA releases lead water pipe survey amid push to improve quality
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its most accurate count yet on how many lead pipes carry water into homes across the United States. According to an EPA survey released Tuesday, April 4, that number 9.2 million.
Florida has the most lead pipes at 1.16 million. Rounding out the top five states with the most pipes are Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.
The Biden administration has set a goal to remove all of the country’s lead water pipes. If lead from pipes were to get into the water traveling through them, anyone drinking that water could be at risk for brain damage.
According to the EPA, no amount of lead is safe for children. Along with the release of the survey, the EPA announced $6.5 billion to upgrade drinking water infrastructure across the country.
“Every community deserves access to safe, clean drinking water,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. “We have an unprecedented opportunity to revitalize America’s drinking water systems, support the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of removing 100% of lead pipes across our country, and protect communities from PFAS pollution.”
EPA proposes first national drinking water standard for PFAS
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday proposed what would be the first national drinking water standard for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS or “forever chemicals.” PFAS are a family of synthetic chemicals that linger in the environment and the human body, where they can cause serious health problems.
While there are thousands of PFAS, the proposed EPA water standard rule is focused on regulating six chemicals where the science is clear regarding their impact on human health. Under the proposal, water systems would have to monitor for the chemicals, notify the public about PFAS levels and work to reduce them if levels go above the standard allowed.
“EPA’s proposal to establish a national standard for PFAS in drinking water is informed by the best available science, and would help provide states with the guidance they need to make decisions that best protect their communities,” EPA Administrator Michael Regansaid in a statement. “This action has the potential to prevent tens of thousands of PFAS-related illnesses and marks a major step toward safeguarding all our communities from these dangerous contaminants.”
EPA blocks decades-old proposal for copper and gold mine in Alaska
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) moved Tuesday to block a controversial proposal for a copper and gold mine in Southwest Alaska. The remote region, home to the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery, is a massive source of minerals believed to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
For nearly 20 years, the Pebble Mine project has been seeking government approval to extract millions of tons of rock ore through an open-pit mine on a square mile of land. However, the Biden administration issued a final determination blocking the plan, citing the Clean Water Act.
“The Bristol Bay watershed is a vital economic driver, providing jobs, sustenance, and significant ecological and cultural value to the region,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said. “With this action, EPA is advancing its commitment to help protect this one-of-a-kind ecosystem, safeguard an essential Alaskan industry, and preserve the way of life for more than two dozen Alaska Native villages.”
The announcement marks only the 14th time in the roughly 50-year history of the Clean Water Act that the EPA has flexed its powers to bar or restrict activities over potential impacts to waters, including fisheries, according to The Associated Press.
However, the company behind the Pebble Mine project calls the EPA’s move an “overreach” and political, maintaining that the project can coexist with salmon. The partnership’s website says the deposit is at the upper reaches of three “very small tributaries” and expresses confidence any impacts on the fishery “in the unlikely event of an incident” would be “minimal.”
The EPA’s decision to block the mine was based on an analysis by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which said discharges of dredged or fill material to build and operate the proposed mine site would result in a loss of nearly 100 miles of stream habitat, as well as wetland areas.