Please see a supportive one-pager from the Healthier Virignia School Bus Coalition attached

The Healthier Virginia School Buses Coalition, which includes Virignia Clinicians for Climate Action, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, Moms Clean Air Force, Mothers Out Front, Highland, Electrification Coalition, Generation180, Chesapeak Climate Action Network Action Fund and the Southern Environmental Law center, supports Del. Bulova's HB1340 and supports state funding in the FY27/28 budget for the Virginia Electric Vehicle Grant Fund and Program.

I support HB1340 because electric school buses protect children’s health, save districts money, cut pollution, and strengthen energy resilience. Diesel fumes concentrate 6–10× higher inside buses, exposing students to asthma triggers, learning delays, cardiovascular risks, and cancer; replacing them with zero‑tailpipe ESBs reduces those acute and chronic harms. Though upfront costs are higher, lifetime fuel and maintenance savings average about $170,000 per bus, easing school budgets and redirecting funds to education. ESBs also dramatically lower community air pollution compared with diesel or propane even after accounting for grid electricity emissions, improving local air quality and equity. Beyond transportation, bus batteries provide flexible clean energy: they can power school buildings during outages, participate in demand response, and serve as second‑life storage after retirement, enhancing grid resilience and lowering electricity costs for Virginians. For health, environmental, and energy security reasons, this bill is a practical investment in our children and communities.

On behalf of the World Resources Institute’s Electric School Bus Initiative, I have attached a letter in support HB 1340 to strengthen the Virginia Electric Vehicle Grant Fund and Program.

I support HB 1350 because every electric school bus (ESB) we get on the road in Virginia means dozens of kids will not be breathing diesel fumes. The 280+ ESBs already in use in the Commonwealth mean thousands of kids are breathing easier. Diesel emissions contain particulate matter and toxins that cause asthma, heart disease, learning delays, and even cancer. The black cloud that comes out of the back of the bus gets concentrated 6-10x inside the bus. Our kids’ health depends on a clean ride to school. It’s also important to note that ESB batteries are a part of the solution for grid resiliency, storm preparedness, and energy affordability— both during the bus lifecycle through Vehicle to Grid (V2G) and Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), as well as after the bus is retired for energy storage.

I urge all members of the Subcommittee to use their influence and votes to pass HB 1340, the electric school bus bill. EV buses will improve air quality, assist children who suffer from asthma, and ultimately save money for school districts. Let's do this for our children!

CAC Tech Services Inc testimony in support of HB 1340. We are a Commonwealth of Virginia based C Corporation which has significant knowledge and know how designing and delivering electric vehicle products to public and private roads. We have worked over the past few years to develop multiple solutions to help repower diesel school buses to electric powertrains which reduces the expense of electrification by 50% compared to a new electric school bus. In the past few years with such large federal incentives there was little interest in repowering diesel school buses to electric, however the federal funding landscape is significantly different. We see that electric powered school buses have a much cleaner air quality inside and outside of the buses which is a benefit of the local community. Also, the total cost of ownership can be beneficial to not only the school district for operational costs, but also the cost to the public welfare in urban environments where cases of asthma and other lung issues are more prevalent. This bill will support school districts with the availability of funding if available which will benefit the commonwealth. Should the school districts embrace the economics of repowering their diesel buses the reach on the same budget would be doubled as well as create more jobs in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Highland Electric Fleets testimony in support of House Bill 1340.