A new House committee report released on Tuesday criticizes the Biden-Harris administration’s $5 billion Clean School Bus Program, calling it a failure due to high costs, inefficiency, and potential benefits to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The report, compiled by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations after a year-long investigation, reveals several problems with the program, including extensive costs, reliability issues, and national security concerns.

The Clean School Bus Program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021, aimed to replace existing school buses, primarily diesel-powered, with zero-emission and clean energy alternatives, such as electric buses.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been responsible for overseeing the program.

Kamala Harris first announced the initiative in October 2022, hailing it as a step forward in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating jobs.

However, the program has struggleed to deliver on these promises, according to the report.

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One of the key findings of the report is the significant price difference between electric school buses and traditional diesel models.

On average, an electric school bus costs $381,190, compared to $100,000 for a full-sized diesel bus.

Even alternatives such as propane and compressed natural gas buses, which are more environmentally friendly than diesel, cost much less, averaging $150,774 and $140,000, respectively.

Additionally, the costs of electric buses do not include necessary infrastructure, such as charging stations.

The report cited a case in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the local school district expected to spend $50,000 on charging hubs for four electric buses, but ultimately paid nearly $200,000.

Beyond the high costs, the report points to reliability issues with electric school buses.

According to the New York Association for Pupil Transportation, electric buses have a failure rate of around 20%, while diesel buses have a much lower failure rate of 1-2%.

This has raised concerns about the long-term viability of electric school buses for consistent student transportation.

Further complicating the program is its connection to China’s electric vehicle (EV) supply chain.

The report notes that China controls approximately two-thirds of the global EV battery cell production, compared to just 7% produced in the United States as of 2022.

This heavy reliance on Chinese technology raises both national security and human rights concerns.

The report highlights that the EV supply chain in China, particularly in the Xinjiang region, is linked to forced labor practices involving Uyghur Muslims.

Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, sharply criticized the Clean School Bus Program. “It is clear the $5 billion Clean School Bus Program is overall a failure and, in many cases, a waste of Americans’ hard-earned taxpayer dollars,” she said in a statement.

Rodgers further noted that the program benefits China’s dominance in the EV market while providing limited returns for U.S. taxpayers.

The report also raised concerns about the electric school buses’ limited range. Standard electric buses produced by leading manufacturer BlueBird can travel only 120 miles on a single charge, whereas propane-powered buses can travel up to 400 miles before needing to refuel.

Cold weather conditions exacerbate the issue, with a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory showing that electric transit buses lose about one-third of their range at 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

In addition to the technical and financial challenges, the report warned of potential fraud risks due to lax documentation requirements for contractors.

The EPA has reportedly relied on self-certified applications, without requiring sufficient verification of application information.

A separate report from a Maryland county’s Office of the Inspector General also highlighted millions of dollars in “wasteful spending” related to the program.

The Biden-Harris administration has defended the Clean School Bus Program as an essential step toward reducing emissions and promoting clean energy.

However, critics argue that the program’s financial inefficiencies, reliance on Chinese technology, and limited benefits to U.S. taxpayers outweigh its environmental goals.

The House committee’s findings are likely to fuel further debate over the administration’s clean energy policies and their long-term impact on the economy and national security.

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