FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amanda Woodrum, [email protected], (330)780-8321
Link to Facebook Live of Press Event
NEW REPORT FROM REIMAGINE APPALACHIA OUTLINES PATH TO ELECTRIFYING BUSES
—
The report highlights how greening public transit can create jobs and improve the health and wealth of our communities
Appalachia — This morning, ReImagine Appalachia released Electrifying Transit, a new paper that highlights one of the unique opportunities from the federal climate infrastructure package – greening buses and creating jobs, all while increasing the health and wealth of our communities.
“We’ve heard a lot about transition to electric vehicles, but those discussions have largely focused on passenger vehicles,” said Tracy Sabetta, Moms Clean Air Force in Ohio. “More and more, people are being priced out of the passenger vehicle market. This report will dive into how we can expand and electrify public transportation and school buses, and how the benefits to our health, the environment, and economy far exceed the costs.”
The coalition to ReImagine Appalachia envisions a sustainable economic future for a 21st century Appalachia — one that is good for working people, communities, the land, and public health. One of the key parts of the blueprint for a re-imagined Appalachia is upgrading the region’s electrical infrastructure and building out a more sustainable transportation system.
“Modernizing the region’s transportation system would not only create a more affordable and efficient way to move people and goods,” said Amanda Woodrum, Co-Director of ReImagine Appalachia. “With the right resources, we can put tens of thousands of people to work upgrading existing rail lines, building out EV infrastructure, and, as this report lays out, expand and electrify public and school transportation throughout Appalachia.”
The report looks specifically at the resources needed to electrify transit and also explores how communities can work together to accelerate and fully realize the benefits of revitalizing the region’s intertwined but separate public transportation and school systems.
“Upgrading our region’s transportation system and bringing it into the 21st century will require significant upfront investments, which if done well will deliver far greater economic, social, environmental, and health benefits,” said Garretson Oester, report author and ReImagine Appalachia Research Volunteer.
###
Reimagine Appalachia is a coalition of labor, policy experts and community leaders who are making sure that everyone who lives here can have a good job and can put down roots for the future. For months, the coalition has been pushing Congress to pass major funding packages that create jobs, rebuild infrastructure, and address fires and floods caused by damage to the climate.