State law requires every school bus across New York to be powered by clean electric energy by 2035, and bans non-electric school bus purchases by 2027. Environmental advocates are pushing for a City Council hearing on the transition.

One of Consolidated Bus Transit’s many parking lots in East New York, Brooklyn.

Fall is officially here, and so are the yellow buses that take kids to and from school.

But these buses, which are mostly powered by fossil fuels, also emit the fumes that drive climate change and pollute the air. 

To change that, the state passed a law three years ago that requires every school bus across New York to be powered by clean electric energy by 2035. And starting in 2027, every new school bus purchased must be a zero-emission vehicle.

But only 68 school buses of the 10,500 in New York City’s fleet are currently electric, according to the city’s Department of Education.

Environmental groups fear that the city won’t meet the 2035 mandate as efforts to distribute funding have been slow. They say the public is being kept in the dark about the progress that has been made so far, and that more transparency is needed. 

“We have been consistently calling for an oversight hearing to take place at City Council this entire year, but it hasn’t happened yet,” said Lonnie Portis, director of policy and legislative affairs at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. 

“Oversight hearings are the best way to let the public and local stakeholders know what the current state of these electric school buses are,” Portis added. “Where are we in this process? How much money has been spent?” 

When it comes  to the money, New York City did secure a big chunk of funding from the federal government last March. At the time, Mayor Eric Adams announced that the $61.1 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would put 180 new electric school buses into circulation. 

But the city’s Department of Education told City Limits that the funds are yet to be distributed, as it’s taken months for the Trump administration to release the funds. Only now is the money becoming available for school districts, the department noted. 

Bus production and infrastructure upgrades take time, but the department is hopeful that the full 180 electric buses will be added to the city’s fleet eventually.  

“We are always working with our vendors to ensure every student has access to reliable, high-quality transportation that keeps them healthy and supports our environmental future,” a spokesperson for the DOE  said in an email.

“Protecting our students’ health and well-being is our top priority, and electrifying our school bus fleet advances this commitment by eliminating harmful emissions and creating quieter, healthier rides that supports better learning environments.” 

Still, environmental advocates fear funds for electric school buses will dry up under Trump, as his administration has not had the best track record when it comes to electrification efforts.

Since starting his second term in office, Trump has shown disdain for cleaner ways to generate energy, like wind and solar power. This year, the president suspended new leasing and permitting for offshore wind projects and rescinded Biden-era tax credits that helped fund the clean energy transition.

Mayor Eric Adams at a press conference last year announcing funding for more electric school buses via the Biden administration. ( Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)

“This new federal administration is rolling back environmental protections and regulations and it’s playing a dangerous game,” said Kevin Garcia, senior transportation planner at the non-profit New York City Environmental Justice Alliance.

“So we need the city and state to take real bold climate action in order to make sure that they’re still improving air quality and protecting communities across New York,” Garcia added. 

On the state level, New York has managed to secure $500 million for school bus electrification through the Environmental Bond Act, which New York voters approved in 2022. But accessing the money has proven difficult as not many school districts know how to apply for the funds. 

The money is distributed through a voucher-based initiative run by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). New York K-12 public school districts and third-party bus operators that are under contract with them can apply for the incentive and receive discounts when they purchase zero-emission buses.

While NYSERDA has been providing informational webinars on everything there is to know about electric school buses and applying for these vouchers, environmental advocates say more outreach is needed.

When it comes to applying for the electric school bus incentives, most school districts “just don’t know where to start,” said Suhali Mendez, policy and legislative coordinator at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI).

“I think a lot of the reason that there aren’t enough out there has to do with lack of information,” Mendez added. “We definitely still have a long way to go before meeting our electric school bus goals.”

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Mariana@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

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The post Tens of Thousands of School Buses Are Back On NYC Streets. Only 68 Are Electric. appeared first on City Limits.

El plan de deportaciones masivas de la administración Trump está alimentando el miedo y aumentando la demanda de servicios de salud mental entre los inmigrantes de Nueva York, que ya se enfrentan a obstáculos para recibir atención, según afirmaron funcionarios y defensores en una audiencia del Concejo celebrada la semana pasada. 

La presidenta del Comité de Inmigración del Concejo Municipal, Alexa Avilés, en la audiencia, donde dijo que la administración “habla mucho y no hace nada”, mientras los inmigrantes están siendo arrestados. (John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit)

Este artículo se publicó originalmente en inglés el 18 de septiembre. Traducido por Daniel Parra. Read the English version here.

El plan de deportaciones masivas de la administración Trump está alimentando el miedo y aumentando la demanda de servicios de salud mental entre los inmigrantes de Nueva York, que ya se enfrentan a obstáculos para recibir atención, según afirmaron funcionarios y defensores en una audiencia del Concejo celebrada la semana pasada. 

En una audiencia del Concejo Municipal celebrada la semana pasada, los defensores de los derechos de los inmigrantes afirmaron que no solo han observado ese cambio, sino también el impacto psicológico que está teniendo en las comunidades de inmigrantes de toda la ciudad, lo que pone de relieve la gran necesidad de acceder a servicios de salud mental culturalmente competentes.

Charles Brown, director del programa legal de inmigración de Lutheran Social Services of New York, dijo que el mes pasado habían ayudado a 83 migrantes. “Casi todas esas 83 personas necesitaban servicios de salud mental. Casi todas nos dijeron que no creían que pudieran acceder a esos servicios”, afirmó Brown.

Aún así, los líderes de dos organismos municipales invitados por los legisladores a testificar y responder a preguntas en la audiencia no se presentaron.

Alexa Avilés, presidenta del Comité de Inmigración del Concejo, criticó la ausencia tanto de los responsables de la Oficina de la Alcaldía para Asuntos del Inmigrante (MOIA por sus siglas en inglés) como del Departamento de Salud e Higiene Mental (DOHMH por sus siglas en inglés). Ambas agencias enviaron a miembros de su personal en su lugar.

Aludiendo a la ausencia de los líderes de la administración Adams en otra audiencia sobre el impacto de los recortes presupuestarios de Donald Trump el día anterior, Avilés expresó su decepción. “Sigo ofendida por la hipocresía de esta administración hacia las comunidades de inmigrantes y por el hecho de que hablan mucho y no actúan”, afirmó.

El acceso a los servicios de salud mental es un problema para los neoyorquinos en general, y para los inmigrantes es aún más difícil. Según un informe del DOHMH publicado en mayo, alrededor de neoyorquinos (o el 14 por ciento de la población) declararon tener dificultades para acceder al tratamiento de salud mental que necesitaban, ya fuera a través de asesoramiento o medicación.

Uno de los problemas, explica el informe, es que puede resultar difícil encontrar un proveedor que hable el idioma preferido de la persona o comprenda su cultura.

Otro informe publicado este año por el DOHMH y el MOIA reveló que los inmigrantes con depresión son menos propensos a recibir tratamiento de salud mental (34 por ciento) en comparación con los neoyorquinos nacidos en Estados Unidos con depresión (48 por ciento).

Algunos de los retos a los que se enfrentan los inmigrantes y que pueden contribuir a sus problemas de salud mental son las barreras lingüísticas, los traumas sufridos antes, durante o después de la migración y la inestabilidad económica, explicaron los defensores en la audiencia.

“De hecho, muchos de nuestros clientes llegan a Estados Unidos después de sufrir traumas importantes en su país de origen y durante su viaje hasta aquí, y se encuentran en la ciudad de Nueva York con problemas de salud mental derivados de sus experiencias”, dijo Brown. “Una vez que llegan, los migrantes se ven sometidos a un complejo sistema de inmigración que puede parecer diseñado para volver a traumatizarlos”.

Desde la primavera de 2022, cientos de miles de migrantes han llegado a la ciudad de Nueva York. Aunque el número de recién llegados ha disminuido significativamente en los últimos meses, más de 34.000 permanecían en el sistema de refugios de la ciudad en agosto. 

Los adultos inmigrantes son casi dos veces más propensos que los adultos nacidos en el país a no tener seguro médico, según el informe del MOIA/DOHMH. El mes pasado, The City informó que las inscripciones en NYC Care, el programa de acceso a la asistencia sanitaria de la ciudad para residentes con bajos ingresos —independientemente de su situación migratoria—, disminuyeron por primera vez este año desde su puesta en marcha en 2019.

En la audiencia, los funcionarios dijeron que los neoyorquinos en crisis pueden acceder a algunos servicios mediante una llamada, un mensaje de texto o un chat al teléfono de ayuda para suicidios y crisis 988, que combina la atención y los recursos locales “con las normas y mejores prácticas nacionales”, según explica su sitio web.

Avilés criticó los largos tiempos de espera para comunicarse con la línea 988, así como lo que describió como la falta de preparación de la administración para lidiar con los problemas que afectan a las comunidades de inmigrantes.

La concejal Tiffany Caban fue una de las varias personas detenidas el jueves por protestar contra el ICE frente al 26 Federal Plaza (Winnie Marion)

Los agentes del ICE han estado deteniendo a personas que acuden a las audiencias de inmigración en el 26 Federal Plaza de Manhattan, donde, según los críticos, los migrantes están recluidos en condiciones de hacinamiento e insalubridad. Casi una docena de legisladores fueron detenidos el jueves durante una protesta contra ICE.

“Sabemos que la administración Trump está tomando un camino claro hacia la violencia y que el alcalde no se está oponiendo a ello”, dijo Avilés en la audiencia.

La demanda de servicios de salud mental es inmensa, según los defensores, y los funcionarios municipales lo reconocieron. Los funcionarios testificaron que la línea directa general de MOIA ha recibido miles de llamadas este año, muchas de ellas con preguntas sobre salud, incluidas docenas sobre salud mental específicamente.

Un miembro del personal del Arab American Family Support Center, una organización sin ánimo de lucro que presta servicios a inmigrantes y refugiados árabes, de Oriente Medio, musulmanes y del sur de Asia, dijo que el número de solicitudes que han recibido de personas que buscan ayuda en materia de salud mental ha aumentado un 80 por ciento en los últimos meses.

Según los defensores que testificaron e instaron a la ciudad a financiar una plantilla sanitaria para inmigrantes, también hay una falta de trabajadores cualificados en la ciudad para satisfacer la demanda.

Un médico especialista en salud mental y supervisor del Centro de Apoyo a las Familias Árabe-Americanas pidió a las autoridades que “desarrollaran una mano de obra con competencias lingüísticas mediante la creación de vías y programas acelerados que capaciten a los inmigrantes cualificados para servir a sus propias comunidades”. 

Para ponerse en contacto con el reportero de esta noticia, escriba a Daniel@citylimits.org. Para ponerse en contacto con la editora, escriba a Jeanmarie@citylimits.org.

The post Ofensiva federal está afectando salud mental de inmigrantes neoyorquinos, afirman funcionarios y defensores appeared first on City Limits.

BEIJING (AP) — The United States and China are “talking past each other” on key issues, according to a U.S. lawmaker leading a bipartisan congressional delegation visiting Beijing on Tuesday — the first visit from the House of Representatives to China since 2019.

Led by Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, the visit comes as tensions have risen between the two countries over trade, technology and opposing views on global conflicts.

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The aim of the trip, Smith said, is to increase dialogue between the two sides.

“You have to be willing to start the process of saying, ‘Okay, this is where I’m coming from, where are you coming from?’ And we’re not even at that point yet. We’re still sort of talking past each other,” Smith said Tuesday.

The U.S. delegation said it hoped China would take meaningful action to reduce the inflow of fentanyl into the U.S. and they expressed concern over China’s restrictions on the global supply of rare earths, according to a readout from the House Armed Services Committee on Monday.

Smith also said Tuesday he is concerned that the U.S. and Chinese militaries are coming too close to each other operationally, and that he wants the Chinese side to engage in more dialogue.

“We’ve seen this with our ships and our planes, their ships, their planes, coming entirely too close to one another,” he told reporters. “At the height of the Cold War, we had regular conversations, regular treaties with the Soviet Union.”

In October 2023, the U.S. military said that a Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of an American bomber over the South China Sea.

Smith added he hoped for more engagement overall with Beijing.

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash, center, speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

“Many things that seemed intractable and impossible — once you actually start talking from the standpoint of ‘Let’s try and resolve this’ — it is unbelievable what you can accomplish,” he said.

Smith and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi struck a warmer tone during a meeting later Tuesday, with Wang telling Smith that China’s door was always open to him.

Smith said he saw room for cooperation between the U.S. and China on issues such as combating poverty and public health crises.

“There are many things that we can work together on because the capabilities of China, the capabilities of the U.S. are the greatest in the world,” Smith said. “If we work together, there’s no end of the things that we can accomplish.”

Since arriving on Sunday, the delegation met with several top Chinese officials, including Premier Li Qiang, Defense Minister Dong Jun, Vice Premier He Lifeng and National People’s Congress Chairman Zhao Leji.

The U.S. and Chinese militaries suspended communications with each other for over a year starting in August 2022, following a visit by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. The visit angered Beijing, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary.

A group of U.S. senators visited Beijing in 2023.

China and the U.S. restored military dialogue in November 2023 after a rare meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and then-U.S. President Joe Biden.

But it is unclear how regularly the two militaries have communicated with each other and Smith did not address the frequency in response to reporters’ questions on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump said he would meet with Xi at a regional summit in South Korea in late October and visit China in the “early part of next year,” following a lengthy phone call between the two on Friday.

The congressional delegation to China also includes Michael Baumgartner, a Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as Ro Khanna and Chrissy Houlahan, both Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee. The lawmakers are in China until Thursday.

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and AMELIA THOMSON-DEVEAUX, Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — As President Donald Trump’s administration imposes new restrictions on the legal immigration system, U.S. adults are more likely than they were a year ago to think these immigrants benefit the country, according to a new poll.

The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that Americans are more likely than they were in March 2024 to say it’s a “major benefit” that people who come to the U.S. legally contribute to economic growth and help American companies get the expertise of skilled workers. The survey also shows that Americans are less likely than they were in January to say the number of legal immigrants to the U.S. should be reduced. Slightly fewer than half of Americans say the number should remain the same, a similar percentage from earlier this year.

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At the same time, perceptions of illegal immigration haven’t shifted meaningfully. Americans continue to see fewer benefits from people who come to the U.S. illegally, and they’re more likely to see major risks from these immigrants, including the concern that they’ll commit crimes while in the U.S.

Trump, a Republican, has focused much of his attention on arresting and deporting those in the country illegally, but new screenings, vetting and increased costs are also impacting people who want to come to the U.S. legally to work or study. On Friday, Trump signed a proclamation to overhaul the H-1B visa program, one of the most common pathways for highly skilled foreign workers, requiring now a $100,000 fee for applications. The Trump administration is also subjecting green card applicants to “anti-Americanism” screening, and students applying for visas now need to adhere to social media vetting.

Even Republicans are less likely to say legal immigration should be reduced than they were earlier this year and more likely to say it should remain as is.

Philip Steers, of St. Petersburg, Florida, is a Republican and feels the U.S. makes it too difficult for people to migrate legally. His nephew married a woman from Cambodia, and they have been trying for months to secure a spouse visa.

“If you are pushing all those people who are illegal out, why not make it easier for people who want to come here legally?” said Steers, 76. “We need to speed up the process for those who want to come here to benefit our country.”

Republicans less likely to want to reduce legal immigration

While slightly fewer than half of U.S. adults say the number of legal immigrants should stay as it is, about one-quarter say the number of legal immigrants to the U.S. should be reduced “a lot” or “a little.” That marks a decrease from January, when about one-third said this.

The drop is largely driven by Republicans. About 3 in 10 Republicans now say that legal immigration should be reduced, down from 45% in January.

About 3 in 10 U.S. adults say the number of legal immigrants to the U.S. should be increased “a lot” or “a little,” up slightly from January, when 24% of Americans wanted an increase in legal immigration.

“If you don’t have immigration as a culture, the culture will stagnate. You have to have that balance,” Steers said.

More see benefits from immigrants for economic growth and companies

Americans are more likely to see “major” benefits from people who come to the U.S. legally and less likely to see “major” risks, compared with an AP-NORC poll conducted early last year.

About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say a “major” benefit of immigrants in the country legally is that they contribute to economic growth, which went up from about 4 in 10 in March 2024. Similarly, 51% of U.S. adults say a “major” benefit of legal immigration is that American companies get the expertise of skilled workers in fields like science and technology, compared with 41% in March 2024.

Carlos Gonzalez, who was born in the U.S. to Panamanian parents, said immigrants “provide a lot to the economy of the United States.”

“They bring different ideas that help the economy,” said Gonzalez, 53, a Democrat from Waterbury, Connecticut, adding his mother served as a military nurse in Vietnam. “A lot of people don’t realize that when they do come over here, they try to enrich the country and not take away from it.”

Some of the perceived benefits are economic, but some are cultural, with about 46% saying a “major” benefit of legal immigrants is that they enrich American culture and values, up from 38% in the previous poll.

Shifting views don’t extend to immigrants in the country illegally

Jeff Witoszczak, of El Paso, Texas, identifies as a moderate Republican and supports Trump’s efforts to conduct large-scale deportations of people in the country illegally, saying he does not think the focus needs to be on those who have committed violent crimes. Witoszczak is married to a woman from Mexico who came to the U.S. legally when she was a child.

“Coming here illegally, that’s a crime in and of itself,” Witoszczak said. “They didn’t follow due process coming in. They don’t need due process going out.”

Americans tend to see greater risks — and smaller benefits — from immigrants who are in the country illegally, and these views largely haven’t shifted since last year.

About 4 in 10 U.S. adults now say it’s a major benefit that immigrants in the country illegally will take jobs Americans don’t want, up from about one-third last year. And 42% say that immigrants in the country illegally contribute to economic growth, and 32% believe that they enrich American culture and values. Those findings have remained steady since last year.

About half of U.S. adults say it’s a major risk that immigrants in the country illegally will burden welfare and safety net programs. Studies have shown that immigrants who work in the country illegally pay local, state and federal taxes and generally do not qualify for federal benefits.

The AP-NORC poll of 1,183 adults was conducted Sept. 11-15, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.