DUNCANNON, Pa., – Rohrer Bus Sales proudly announces the appointment of Nicholas Cole as Executive Vice President & General Manager. Nick will be bringing over three decades of executive experience in the automotive, transportation, and mobility industries to Rohrer Bus. In this role, Nick will report directly to Skip Rohrer, President of Rohrer Bus Sales.
As Executive Vice President & General Manager, Nick will be responsible for integrating the Service and Parts Departments into the dealership, and working alongside Skip developing sales strategies to continue the growth of our dealership.
Nick is a seasoned leader known for transforming businesses and leading innovations across global organizations. His distinguished career includes leadership roles with Daimler AG, Avis Budget Group, Local Motors, and United Road. Most recently, Nick served as Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at United Road, where he led the OEM and remarketing sales teams.
Nick previously held the role of Senior Vice President of Sales & Deployment at Local Motors, a start-up manufacturer that introduced the first 3D-manufactured, electric, autonomous, commercial shuttle bus. As President of Zipcar International, he was responsible for global operations across Europe, and launching innovative B2B mobility as a service (MaaS) solutions. As CEO of Car2go North America, a Daimler AG subsidiary, he built and scaled the first point-to-point car-sharing service in the U.S. and Canada, transforming it from a start-up, to a viable enterprise with 14 markets across the U.S. and Canada.
Nick holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Nick and his wife, Heather, have two adult children. Although Nick currently resides in Plymouth, Michigan, he and Heather will be relocating to the Harrisburg area.
Please join us in welcoming Nick and Heather to the Rohrer Bus family.
Rohrer Bus is a full-service bus sales and transportation company offering a wide selection of new and pre-owned buses, vans, and transportation services. We have a long-standing reputation as a leading commercial vehicle dealer and school bus company, and we have been providing safe and reliable passenger transportation solutions dating back to the early 1900’s. Our inventory of sales vehicles consists of hundreds of different new and preowned vehicles at our 30,000-square-foot headquarters located in Duncannon, Pennsylvania, as well as our other locations in Maryland, DC, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, and Delaware.
The School District of Philadelphia is gearing up for its annual “Ring the Bell” bus tour ahead of the upcoming academic year.
The “Ring the Bell” bus tour consists of a colorful school bus that visits multiple locations across Philadelphia during the summer, typically late July through mid‑August.
During each stop, families can pick up free backpacks and school supplies while supplies last, access on‑site registration for PreK–12th grade, sign up for the Parent Portal to access student information online, participate in interactive educational activities, games, and raffles, enjoy snacks and frozen treats, and receive immunizations and school physicals (at select sites).
According to the district’s website, all bus tours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., starting July 28 through Aug. 15. Locations can be found here.
The aim of the tour, which is built around a “festival-like” community experience, is to eliminate barriers for busy families by bringing services directly to neighborhoods, so parents don’t have to hunt for information.
The festive atmosphere often includes raffles, prizes, and fun for kids and families.
The driver of a school van in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, admitted drinking after fleeing a crash while transporting students, reported CBS News.
The driver, identified as 66-year-old Jeffrey Irwin, is facing a total of 27 charges, including multiple counts of DUI, reckless driving, and endangering the welfare of children.
Pittsburgh Public Safety said via the article that Irwin crashed into another vehicle on the 16th Street Bridge before fleeing the scene. He was transporting approximately six 10-year-olds at the time of the incident.
The students on board the van reportedly began contacting their parents to alert them of the situation. Law enforcement tracked down the van through GPS on children’s phones. Authorities located the vehicle and stopped the driver at an intersection. Students were safely returned to their families and there were no reported injuries.
One of the students on board the bus told local news reporters that Irwin almost flipped the bus over and then started moving into other lanes, almost hitting a car.
The criminal complaint states via the article that Irwin admitted to having three to four drinks prior to transporting the students. According to police, he also told an officer that he “self-medicates” with alcohol. Irwin had at least one prior DUI and left the scene of a crash in 2001.
Baldwin-Whitehall School District said via the article that the van was operated by contractor First Student and the driver is not a district employee. The case is under investigation.
A group of Manheim Township School District students were recognized for helping their school bus driver, who passed out while driving, reported WGAL 8.
The incident reportedly occurred May 7, when school bus driver Mikel Tiedeken was dropping off students.
Tristan Dibbs, a student that witnessed the incident, told local news reporters that Tiedeken walked toward the stairs of the bus while swaying a little bit to the left and right. In a matter of seconds, Tiedeken fell down the stairs at the front of the bus, scaring the students.
Two students, who were not identified in this writing, called 911 while others tried to figure out what to do next.
Eighth grader Jose Martinez told local news reporters that everyone started to help him. Tenth grader Isabella Gonzalez, who was near the front of the bus, also stated that she tried her best to help and get Tiedeken up from the bottom of the stairs.
According to the article, Tiedeken is okay. His doctor said he suffered a reaction to new medication.
Tiedeken told reporters that the experience filled his heart in a new way and that he was humbled by the immediate action the students took to help him.
Brightbill Transportation, which reportedly runs busing for the district, provided pizza for the students. The teens also received certificates of recognition from the district.
President Donald Trump signed Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions that overturn U.S. Environmental Protection Agency waivers of key California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations, aimed at enforcing stricter emissions and goals for selling zero-emission vehicles, and states and truck manufacturers are rethinking their strategies.
The CRA upends plans to implement Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT), which would require manufacturers to sell an increasing percentage of zero-emission chassis, including those for school buses by 2035. The CRA also targets Advanced Clean Cars II that would require all passenger car, truck and SUV sales be zero-emission in 2035 and the Omnibus Heavy-Duty Low NOx regulations for off-road emissions.
Trump signed the CRA on Thursday, and California announced it is suing the Trump administration over the President’s approval of “illegal resolutions aiming to undo key parts of the state’s clean vehicles program,” Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta said.
“Trump’s all-out assault on California continues, and this time he’s destroying our clean air and America’s global competitiveness in the process. We are suing to stop this latest illegal action by a President who is a wholly-owned subsidiary of big polluters,” Newsom said.
Additionally, the weight of the future of zero-emission vehicles and clean air requirements will fall on states and OEMs. Many OEMs are taking a wait and see approach.
“Today’s votes in the Senate fly in the face of nearly 50 years of precedent. For decades, California and other states have had the authority to adopt vehicle emissions standards that exceed those at the federal level, and for good reason,” said Dan Lashof, senior fellow at World Resources Institute (WRI), when the CRA passed the Senate May 22. “These standards are vital in protecting people from the vehicle pollution which causes asthma attacks and other serious health problems.”
CARB Chair Liane Randolph released a statement disapproving of the CRA waivers, noting that it is a “short-sighted political move” and a strike against the long-term goal of zero-emission vehicles.
“California profoundly disagrees with today’s unconstitutional, illegal and foolish vote attempting to undermine critical clean air protections,” she wrote. “It’s an assault on states’ rights the federal administration claims to support that puts national air quality standards out of reach and will have devastating effects for the 150 million Americans who breathe unhealthy air every day. These actions are contrary to the text of the Congressional Review Act, as recognized by the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office and the Senate Parliamentarian. California will pursue every available remedy to challenge these actions and defend our right to protect the public from dangerous air pollution. Turning the clock back on both cleaner combustion engine requirements and zero-emission technology is an attack on clean air.”
Meanwhile, states that voted to adopt CARB’s regulations are postponing enforcement. Four of the 10 states that follow CARB (Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon and Vermont) have pushed back their ACT compliance timelines by a year or more.
This includes school buses and the ACT rule. Gerry Wosewick, executive director of the Pennsylvania School Bus Association, said the government agency has been working hard with partner organizations to roll back this requirement.
“This has been a legislative priority for us for quite a few years now and we have been advocating for it pretty heavily during that time,” Wosewick said. “It was actually a part of [the PSBS] legislative committee’s [strategy] plan. Since this is a regulatory issue, we have had several pieces of legislation that have been entered over multiple sessions in an effort to best address this change. Despite our lobbying efforts, we have been unsuccessful in getting any legislation through.”
With the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, MTA and others, Wosewick said there was enough pressure to address the regulation, which was key to getting it delayed.
“I oftentimes refer to it as the death by a thousand paper cuts in Pennsylvania,” he added. “While our contractors are phenomenal and find new and innovative ways to continue operations, it’s the constant small regulatory and statutory changes that keep making it more difficult to operate in the industry.”
Instead, he commented the industry should be able to work collaboratively to focus on timely emissions rollouts, as opposed to being forced to respond to regulatory drives.
Back at the federal level, the budget reconciliation bill passed by the House of Representatives May 22 is a comprehensive piece of legislation proposing significant changes, including scaling back the tax credits for clean energy included in the Inflation Reduction Act.
WRI noted that if the cuts in the current iteration of the bill are passed, “average Americans will see severe consequences: Businesses will face more red tape and uncertainty; it will be more difficult and costly to meet growing electricity demand; consumers will see skyrocketing electricity prices; workers will lose jobs; and local governments will encounter barriers to implementing programs that benefit their communities and save money,” it said in a statement.
The organization added that it would erase much of the $400 billion in investment and savings that clean energy tax credits have generated thus far.
“The proposed sudden elimination of the credits, which support low and no emission vehicle technologies, including the Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit (45W) and the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit (30C), will not only hinder the transition to cleaner vehicles and healthier communities but will pose immediate logistical and financial challenges to school districts, municipalities and others who have already made plans and budget decisions predicated on being able to access these credits,” WRI said. “Moreover, eliminating these credits means we are limiting consumer choice and ceding competitiveness in this growing market to China.”
The article has been updated to reflect Trump signing the CRA.
A trailblazing regional greenhouse gas partnership on the East Coast is considering possible changes or expansion that would allow it to keep building on its success — and the stakes grew higher last month with the reelection of Donald Trump.
The 11-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, established in 2005, is the country’s first regional cap-and-invest system for reducing carbon emissions from power generation. Since 2021, administrators have been conducting a program review, analyzing its performance since the last review in 2017 and weighing potential adjustments to make sure it continues to deliver benefits to member states.
The role of such programs is more crucial as Trump’s pledges to roll back federal climate action leaves it up to cities, states, and the private sector to maintain the country’s momentum on clean energy over the next four years. In RGGI, as the regional initiative is known, states have a potential model for scaling their impact through collaboration.
“RGGI has not only been an effective climate policy, it’s been an extraordinary example of how states can work together on common goals,” said Daniel Sosland, president of climate and energy nonprofit Acadia Center. “It is a major vehicle for climate policy now in the states, more than it might have seemed before the election.”
How RGGI works
RGGI sets a cap for total power plant carbon emissions among member states. Individual generators must then buy allowances from the state, up to the total cap, for each ton of carbon dioxide they produce in a year. The cap lowers over time, forcing power plants to either reduce emissions or pay more to buy allowances from a shrinking pool.
States then reinvest the proceeds from these auctions into programs that further reduce emissions and help energy customers, including energy efficiency initiatives, direct bill assistance, and renewable energy projects. Since 2008, RGGI has generated $8.3 billion for participating states, and carbon dioxide emissions from power generation in the nine states that have consistently participated fell by about half between 2008 and 2021, a considerably faster rate than the rest of the country.
“It has really thrived and been really effective across multiple administrations,” said Jackson Morris, state power sector director with the Natural Resources Defense Council. “RGGI is a winning model. It’s not theoretical — we’ve got numbers.”
Currently, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont are part of the program. Virginia joined RGGI in 2021, but in 2023 Gov. Glenn Youngkin repealed the state’s participation, a move immediately challenged in court; a judge ruled last month that the governor lacked the authority to withdraw the state from initiative, though a spokesman for the governor has declared the state’s intention to appeal.
There is widespread agreement that RGGI will endure despite likely federal hostility to climate measures. There was no attempt to take direct action against it during Trump’s first term, nor has there been any concerted industry opposition, said Conservation Law Foundation president Bradley Campbell, who was involved in the founding of RGGI when he was commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
Supporters also note that the program has historically had broad bipartisan support: Participating states have been led through the years by both Republican and Democratic governors and legislatures.
Politics has had some influence over the years, though only at the margins. New Jersey, a founding member of RGGI, left in 2011 when Chris Christie was governor, but returned in 2020 following an executive order from his successor. Pennsylvania joined in 2022 through an executive order from the governor, but its participation is now being challenged in court.
Still, RGGI’s foundations are solid and will remain so, experts said.
“The basic infrastructure has weathered the political winds over the decades,” Campbell said.
Looking forward
Nonetheless, RGGI will need to make some carefully thought-out program design decisions during its current review to make an impact in the face of falling federal support for decarbonization.
One question under consideration is whether to maintain the existing trajectory for the overall emissions cap for the program — a reduction of 30% between 2020 and 2030, then holding steady thereafter — or to continue lowering the limit after 2030.
The RGGI states are also contemplating a possible change to the compliance schedule that would require power generators to acquire allowances worth 100% of their carbon emissions each year, and certify compliance annually. The current system calls for certification every three years, and only mandates allowances equivalent to half of carbon emissions for the first two years of each period.
The program is looking for ways to appeal to potential new participant states that have less aggressive decarbonization goals than current member states without watering down the program’s overall impact on decarbonization, said Acadia Center policy analyst Paola Tamayo. Acadia suggested possible program mechanisms such as giving proportionately more allowances to states with more stringent emissions targets to incentivize tighter limits.
“At this point it is critical for states to maintain a high level of ambition when it comes to programs like RGGI,” Tamayo said. “There are different mechanisms that they can implement to accommodate other states.”
The program review is expected to yield a model rule some time over the winter, though updates may be made into the spring as the RGGI states receive and consider feedback on how to accommodate potential new participants.
States will also need to maintain and strengthen their own climate policies to magnify the impact of RGGI, Campbell said. He pointed to Massachusetts, where Gov. Maura Healey needs to show “bolder leadership,” he said, and Maine and Vermont, where the Conservation Law Foundation has filed lawsuits in an attempt to compel the states to meet their own carbon reduction deadlines.
“It’s especially important that the states that have strong emissions reduction mandates speed up the implementation of their climate laws,” he said. “State leadership on these issues is going to be more important than ever.”
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