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Somers board backs petition asking PSC to study utility readiness for bus electrification
Summary
The Somers Central School District Board voted to support a petition from the Lower Hudson Education Coalition asking the New York State Public Service Commission to conduct an informational proceeding on utility readiness for school-bus fleet electrification, citing Education Law section 36 38 and concerns about infrastructure costs and timelines.
The board read and approved a resolution expressing support for the Lower Hudson Education Coalition’s petition to the New York State Public Service Commission (docketed in the meeting as case 26000643) that requests a PSC-led informational proceeding to evaluate whether investor-owned utilities are prepared to deliver the distribution infrastructure needed for bus-fleet electrification under Education Law section 36 38.
The resolution states the district’s fiduciary duty to taxpayers and the need for transparent, utility-specific data to inform capital planning, including the utility-side and customer-side upgrade costs and implementation timelines. The board’s resolve notes that the district has not yet completed a fleet-electrification plan and lacks sufficient data on infrastructure requirements and costs needed to responsibly plan and budget any electrification effort.
The motion was moved and seconded on the floor and the board voted in favor. The resolution asks the PSC to grant the petition and to establish an enforceable, coordinated framework for districts planning potential electrification efforts. Board members framed the vote as seeking necessary information and protective planning rather than an immediate commitment to electrification.
