Obama Stimulus Provides $13 million to Kentucky for Hybrid Buses

The next time you're stuck in traffic behind a school bus, and you notice it's not belching the usual lethal, smothering diesel fumes, thank that socialist in the White House.

Kentucky school districts will benefit from $12.9 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to purchase new hybrid electric school buses.

Kentucky will replace about 200 diesel-powered units in school bus fleets statewide with Type C-Charge Sustaining Hybrid Electric school buses. The procurement process will begin in October, and school districts that intend to purchase new buses may choose hybrid electric vehicles at that time. There are currently more than 9,800 diesel-fueled school buses operating in Kentucky, and this project is designed to replace the oldest buses in the fleet.

SNIP

The buses will be part of a nationwide initiative to increase energy security, decrease dependence on foreign oil and reduce pollution. Once the project is complete, Kentucky will have the largest fleet of hybrid electric school buses in the nation.

Read the whole thing.

If you're not familiar with the jargon, charge-sustaining hybrids (like the Prius) use less gasoline by generating power through braking. They do NOT plug in to the electrical power grid. Which is good, because if they did, they wouldn't reduce emissions much in Kentucky, where most of the electricity is generated by coal-burning, climate-destroying power plants.

How about that, Kentucky? A government program with multiple benefits that does not depend on destroying forests, leveling mountains, poisoning drinking water, wrecking homes and killing people in pursuit of coal. Somebody tell Dan Mongiardo.

May I also congratulate the author of the press release for avoiding the all-too-common-in-Kentucky error of spelling the plural of "bus" as "busses" rather than "buses?" A buss is a type of kiss, and busses are for lovers, not riders.