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Proposed Legislation and School Buses. House Bill 177 (Broken off from the “ Fracking ” bill. Directs DPI to purchase new school buses that operate on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
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House Bill 177(Broken off from the “Fracking” bill • Directs DPI to purchase new school buses that operate on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) • Create an interagency task force to establish public-private partnerships for the construction and development of CNG fueling infrastructure • Directs DOT to purchase new pickups that run on CNG or CNG and gasoline
School Buses • Type C • Type D • Type A
NC Experience with CNG School Buses • Type D Buses in Charlotte-Mecklenburg • Even diesel Type D buses more costly to purchase and to operate (No state contract in years!) • CNG engine adds another $40-$50k to the price • Legislative Committee understands this part, thus the language
House Bill 177 • Beginning July 1, 2013 any Type A,B,D new school buses must be CNG (no impact?) • DPI estimates 2000 replacement buses needed • Beginning July 1, 2015 ALL new school buses must be CNG • By December 1, 2012 DPI, in consultation with LEAs, shall develop a plan for deployment of CNG buses
House Bill 177 • Plan is to include the following considerations: • Availability of central fueling • Ability of and LEA to operate and maintain CNG buses • Characteristics of LEA – geography, length of bus routes, etc. • etc. • Report annually beginning January 1, 2013
May 31 Senate Commerce Comm. • Derek’s observations: • Chair stated that the bill will be amended • Will include more alternative fuel choices for LEAS (e.g. CNG, propane…) • Bill stipulates a requirement before the plan • The requirement for a plan will likely remain • LEAs will voluntarily – or not – need to participate in the rollout of alternative fuels
Senate Bill 920 • Requires school bus replacement at 300,000 miles (no age component) • Background: Bus replacement criteria delegated by SBE to Transp. Services Section • 200,000 miles • 20 years (note – many states laugh at this lengthy time frame, but it does work for us) • Typically, 30-50% of buses replaced are because of age without hitting 200k miles
Senate Bill 920300K School Bus Replacement • Issues: • School buses in the “Rust Belt” are not holding up due to the brine being used on the roads • Watauga, Avery, Mitchell, etc • Many smaller and low mileage counties have buses replaced on age rather than mileage • This year, of the buses being replaced based on mileage, the range is 200k-275k miles (avg 222k) • School buses run extra miles as spare buses after they are replaced
House Bill 1065 • Allows Moore County Schools to use school buses – at no cost to the state – for the U.S. Open • Good reminder that yellow buses can’t be used for “other” purposes without legislation
House Bill 451 • Vehicle Seizures for Driving While License Revoked • 3 or more times, vehicle subject to seizure • Same process as DWI seizures • Potential for some additional revenue for LEAs