Jonathan Ullman, jonathan.ullman@sierraclub.org
SANTA BARBARA, CA - The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) Board of Directors voted unanimously today to set a goal of 100% clean, quiet zero emission buses by 2030.
The District decided to join Los Angeles Metro - with one quarter of the state's buses - along with five other California transit agencies in setting a 2030 goal, 10 years earlier than the 2040 goal expected to be set this January by California’s Air Resources Board.
"We salute the MTD board for setting a 100% electric bus goal. Diesel pollution causes cancer, asthma and it also contributes to climate change,” said Katie Davis, Chair of the Sierra Club Santa Barbara Group. “It is particularly important to show a commitment to carbon-free transportation now as California grapples with a year-round fire season driven by climate change.”
“Community Environmental Council congratulates Santa Barbara MTD for continuing their electric bus leadership with this 100% electric bus goal,” said Michael Chiacos, Director of Energy and Climate Programs at Community Environmental Council. “Zero emission electric buses powered by renewable energy will be cleaner for our air, quieter for our neighborhoods, and show the world we can lead on climate change solutions.”
The groups were among 20 local organizations that signed on to a letter supporting the goal, including the UC Santa Barbara's Chancellor's Sustainability Committee,
Santa Barbara City College, the League of Women Voters, 350 Santa Barbara and
the Environmental Defense Center. The move was also backed in a letter by the
American Lung Association.
Santa Barbara MTD operated the first electric bus fleet in the U.S. in 1991. The transit district currently operates 14 all-electric buses with no tailpipes, making it the second largest active electric bus fleet in California. In a little more than a decade, all 112 buses serving Santa Barbara, Goleta, Montecito and Carpinteria are now slated to be quiet, clean, comfortable, and most importantly, carbon free.
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The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.