The U.S. Capitol, pictured on Oct. 8, 2025. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate failed to advance Wednesday night a resolution designed to curb the president’s power regarding military actions abroad after the Trump administration ordered four strikes on boats in the Caribbean. 

The resolution failed to advance 48-51. Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff of California and Tim Kaine of Virginia forced a procedural vote on the measure, which would have blocked the Trump administration from engaging in hostilities abroad without congressional approval. 

Two Republicans, Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined nearly all Democrats voting in favor. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to vote against advancing the measure.

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 is a tool for Congress to check the balances of power of the executive branch by limiting the president’s ability to initiate or escalate military actions abroad. 

Since September, President Donald Trump has approved four known military strikes in the Caribbean that have killed 21 so far, and, without offering evidence, said the boats were used by drug cartel members. 

“We call them water drugs,” Trump said about the most recent known boat strike on Oct. 3. “The drugs that come in through the water.”

The White House has released few details of the strikes. 

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, also without providing any evidence, said on social media that the boats contained narcotics heading for the U.S.

“Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route,” Hegseth wrote. “These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!”

Those attacks have taken place in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, Hegseth added.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in a statement, condemned the attacks as an “illegal incursion of combat aircraft from the United States.”

Use of military

It’s illegal for the U.S. military to intentionally kill civilians who are not actively taking part in hostilities against the U.S. 

Senate Democrats and some Republicans have expressed skepticism about claims from the Trump administration that the boats were affiliated with drug cartels and have pushed the White House for more information on the boat strikes. 

Kaine said it’s possible that more people have died in the boat strikes, but they are seeking that information. He added that the strikes circumvent Congress’ authority to declare war. 

“We are vested with the power of declaring war. We ask basic questions,”  Kaine, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said. “Give us the intel about these particular boats, that they’re actually carrying narcotics.”

The Trump administration has argued that the strikes on the boats don’t warrant notification to Congress because they don’t rise to the level of war, and that the attacks are in self-defense. Kaine said he rejects those arguments.

“That’s just an invented rationale,” he said. “Self-defense has always been understood (as) imminent attack, imminent invasion of the United States. It is not within the norm of self-defense to define a drugrunner’s operation.” 

Paul said he is working on getting a briefing from the White House about the strikes and was skeptical that in the most recent strike, the four people killed were affiliated with drug cartels.

“If they’re members of a gang and you know them to be terrorists, and you’re convinced enough to kill them, why shouldn’t you know their names?” Paul said. 

Schiff said that since the first U.S. military attack near Venezuela in early September, the White House has not answered his and other lawmakers’ questions on those missions. 

“We just have little or no information about who was on board these ships, or what intelligence was used, or what the rationale was, and how certain we can be that everyone on that ship deserved to die,” he said. 

Congress passed the War Powers Resolution in 1973 to limit the president’s authority to wage war overseas after the Nixon administration secretly bombed Vietnam and Cambodia, killing hundreds of thousands of people. Then-President Richard Nixon vetoed the resolution, but Congress overrode the veto. 

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at a news conference in Chicago on Oct. 6, 2025. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson stands at right. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

A federal judge will hear arguments Thursday in Illinois over Chicago’s lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to the state before deciding whether to block the move, the judge wrote in an order.

In a one-paragraph order, U.S. District Judge April M. Perry, whom Democratic President Joe Biden appointed to the bench, set an 11:59 p.m. Wednesday deadline for the Trump administration to respond in writing to the suit filed by the Democratic leaders of Illinois and its largest city, which they filed Monday morning. 

Perry did not immediately grant the restraining order Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson sought to block the deployment at the outset of the case.

Perry said she expected the federal government’s response to include evidence about when National Guard troops would arrive in Illinois, where in the state they would go and “the scope of the troops’ activities” once there. She set oral arguments for 11 a.m. Central Time on Thursday.

The suit seeks to stop Trump’s federalization of Illinois National Guard and mobilization of Texas National Guard troops to the state. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has also agreed to send Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, at Trump’s request.

Pritzker and Johnson’s complaint calls the federalization of state National Guard troops “illegal, dangerous, and unconstitutional.” The Democrats added that the move was “patently pretextual and baseless,” meaning it could not satisfy the legal requirements for a president to wrest from a governor control of a state’s National Guard force.

Pritzker, appearing at a Tuesday event in Minneapolis with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the federal government has been noncommunicative about the plan for the National Guard troops, but had received “reports” that troops have arrived at a federal facility in the state.

“We don’t know exactly where this is going to end,” he said. “What we know is that it is striking fear in the hearts of everybody in Chicago.”

A federal judge in another case blocked the deployment to Portland after city and Oregon leaders sued to stop it. The federal government appealed that order, and a panel of the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments Thursday, according to a scheduling notice posted Tuesday.

Insurrection Act cited by Trump

Trump has said the extraordinary use of troops, which raises serious legal and constitutional questions about the line between military forces and domestic law enforcement, is necessary to control crime in some Democrat-led cities, including Chicago and Portland. 

State and local leaders in those jurisdictions, as well as Los Angeles, have said military personnel are not needed to supplement local police. Pritzker called the proposed deployment to Chicago an “invasion.”

Trump indicated Monday he may seek to further escalate the push for military involvement domestically, saying he would have no qualms about invoking the Insurrection Act, which expands presidential power to use the military for law enforcement.

“We have an Insurrection Act for a reason,” he told reporters. “If I had to enact it, I’d do that. If people were getting killed and courts were holding us up or governors or mayors were holding us up, sure, I’d do that.”

Democratic U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin of Illinois, Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden of Oregon and Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff from California — the three states where Trump has sent troops over the governors’ objections — called on Trump to withdraw the troops in a Tuesday statement that warned of the escalating conflict between blue states and the federal government.

“Donald Trump is stretching the limits of Presidential authority far past their breaking point and moving us closer to authoritarianism with each dangerous and unacceptable escalation of his campaign to force federal troops into American communities against the wishes of sovereign states in the Union he is supposed to represent,” the senators wrote.

Dems in Congress question raid

Trump’s use of National Guard troops is in part a response to protests in Democratic cities over this administration’s crackdown on immigration enforcement.

Trump has surged immigration enforcement officers to certain cities. Those agents have pursued sometimes aggressive enforcement, including a Sept. 30 raid on a Chicago apartment building that has been criticized for using military-style tactics.

A group of eight U.S. House Democrats wrote Monday to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem calling for an investigation into that raid.

The members were Homeland Security Committee ranking member Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin of Maryland, J. Luis Correa of California, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Shri Thanedar of Michigan, Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania and Delia Ramirez and Jesús “Chuy” Garcia of Illinois.

“We write to express our outrage over the immigration raid,” they said. “Treating a U.S. city like a war zone is intolerable.”

J. Patrick Coolican contributed to this report.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a Nashville press conference on July 18, 2025, to discuss arrests of immigrants during recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweeps. (Photo by John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court Friday again allowed the Trump administration to strip temporary protections for more than 300,000 Venezuelans, opening them up for quick deportations as the president continues with his plans for mass deportations.  

The conservative justices granted, 6-3, President Donald Trump’s request from last month to pause a federal judge’s ruling that found Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem lacked the authority to revoke Temporary Protected Status granted to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants under the Biden administration. 

All three liberal justices sided with the lower court, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson writing a dissent with the conservative Supreme Court majority. She criticized the high court’s use of the emergency docket, also known as the shadow docket, which can allow the justices to avoid explaining their reasoning for decisions brought on an emergency basis. 

“We once again use our equitable power (but not our opinion-writing capacity) to allow this Administration to disrupt as many lives as possible, as quickly as possible,” Jackson wrote. 

The conservative justices did not explain their reasoning but said the harms faced by the Trump administration remained the same as when the case was first brought to the high court in May.

Jackson said that not only were the lower courts correct in their orders to block the removal of TPS protections to limit harm, but that the Supreme Court should have denied the emergency request from the Trump administration.

“Having opted instead to join the fray, the Court plainly misjudges the irreparable harm and balance-of-the-equities factors by privileging the bald assertion of unconstrained executive power over countless families’ pleas for the stability our Government has promised them,” Jackson wrote. 

“Because, respectfully, I cannot abide our repeated, gratuitous, and harmful interference with cases pending in the lower courts while lives hang in the balance, I dissent,” she continued. 

The suit in the Northern District of California will continue despite Friday’s emergency ruling from the high court. 

U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that Noem had the authority to revoke extended protections initially granted to Venezuelans under the Biden administration. 

Former President Joe Biden granted TPS for Venezuelans who came to the U.S. in 2021 and 2023. Those TPS protections were set to last until October 2026. 

TPS is granted when a national’s home country is deemed too dangerous to return to due to violence, political instability or extreme natural disasters. It’s renewed every 18 months and protects immigrants from deportation and allows them access to work permits.

This is the second time the Trump administration has appealed to the high court to allow it to end TPS protections for Venezuelans. In late May, the Supreme Court paved the way for the Trump administration to temporarily terminate TPS for more than 300,000 Venezuelans while the case continued in lower courts.

SANTA FE, N.M., – GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (“GreenPower”) and the New Mexico Economic Development Department have announced the launching of the New Mexico All-Electric, Purpose-Built, Zero-Emission School Bus Pilot Project at two Las Vegas public schools and a Santa Fe charter school.

GreenPower (NASDAQ: GP) (TSXV: GPV), a leading manufacturer and distributor of all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles serving the cargo and delivery market, shuttle and transit space, and school bus sector, today announced the launch of the New Mexico All-Electric, Purpose-Built, Zero-Emission School Bus Pilot Project with deployments of the Type A Nano BEAST at the Las Vegas City Schools and West Las Vegas Schools and the Type A Nano BEAST Access at the Monte del Sol Charter School in Santa Fe.

“GreenPower is pleased to begin this two-year pilot project with the State of New Mexico with three Nano BEASTs in schools that are excited to evaluate all-electric transportation options for school kids,” said Brendan Riley, president of GreenPower. “By focusing the first year of the project on the Type A Nano BEAST, the state and school districts will have a unique opportunity to see how the all-electric vehicle performs in differing conditions with different sets of charging infrastructure.”

GreenPower entered into an MOU with the State of New Mexico to assess the viability and reliability of fast charging in various environments and circumstances. The school districts’ participation in the pilot is voluntary, and the state has agreed to support the program with $5 million in capital outlay appropriation to purchase the vehicles and cover the cost of the pilot project.

The 2-year pilot program supports New Mexico’s dedication to the Energy Transition Act, designed to transition the state toward the goal of 100% zero-carbon electricity supply by 2045, while also providing support for affected communities and ensuring cost protections for residents.

According to the MOU, after two successful pilot phases, EDD will support an additional $15 million for more school buses. The state also pledges to work with GreenPower to expand the all-electric, zero-emission commercial fleet at the Department of Transportation and the General Services Department.

The two-year pilot project will deploy three GreenPower Type A all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission school buses in the first school year (2025-26), and two GreenPower Type D all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission BEAST school buses and one Mega BEAST school bus in the second school year (2026-27). The school buses will rotate around the state for five pilot rounds each school year, with each round lasting six weeks. GreenPower will install charging systems through its Pilot Project partnership with Highland Electric Fleets, provide training for drivers, mechanics, and the community’s first responders, and track telematics through a partnership with Geotab. GreenPower will provide a detailed report to the state at the end of each school year.

“Among some of the data that will be collected is range, charging infrastructure needs, handling and maneuverability, operating and maintenance savings, student and parent acceptance, and more,” said GreenPower CEO Fraser Atkinson. “The data will help with the idea of change as schools look to create a new beginning of a clean, healthy school day.”

“As we transition towards a more flexible, diversified, and environmentally sustainable economy, we are dedicated to achieving carbon-free power,” stated Rob Black, cabinet secretary of EDD. “This is also an opportunity to introduce young students to alternative energy sources. The steps we take today will not only promote a greener future but also inspire a new generation of environmental stewards.”

“Las Vegas City Schools is proud to be one of three New Mexico schools participating in this first round of the GreenPower pilot project, and we look forward to seeing how an all-electric school bus can benefit our school system and students,” said Melissa Sandoval, Superintendent at Las Vegas City Schools.

“We have been looking at grant opportunities to begin migrating from diesel to all-electric school buses for the past couple of years,” said Christopher Gutierrez, superintendent at West Las Vegas Schools. “Participating in this pilot project will allow us to determine the best ways to integrate zero-emission buses into our fleet.”

“Our charter school is always searching for new, innovative ways to serve our students and communities,” said Dr. Zoe Nelson, head learner for Monte del Sol Charter School. “We are honored to have been chosen to participate in the state’s all-electric school bus pilot program. Our school believes in safe, sustainable, and sensible alternatives, and I cannot wait to see the multitude of benefits this investment will yield for the deserving children of the Land of Enchantment.”

About the Nano BEAST
The Nano BEAST has a standard 118 kWh battery pack and a range of up to 140 miles. Configured for up to 24 passengers, it features a seamlessly integrated aluminum body made from extruded aluminum manufactured by Constellium. The Nano BEAST is built on the EV Star Cab & Chassis which is the same platform as the EV Star Passenger Van that passed the FTA Altoona Bus Testing program with one of the highest scores ever achieved. The dual port charging is standard, with Level 2 rates up to 19.2 kW and DC Fast Charging rates up to 60 kW. Nano BEAST Access has seating for up to 20 ambulatory passengers and up to 3+ Q’STRAINT wheelchair securements, complemented with a BraunAbility rear curbside lift.

About GreenPower Motor Company Inc.
GreenPower designs, builds and distributes a full suite of high-floor and low-floor all-electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles, including transit buses, school buses, shuttles, cargo van and a cab and chassis. GreenPower employs a clean-sheet design to manufacture all-electric vehicles that are purpose built to be battery powered with zero emissions while integrating global suppliers for key components. This OEM platform allows GreenPower to meet the specifications of various operators while providing standard parts for ease of maintenance and accessibility for warranty requirements. GreenPower was founded in Vancouver, Canada, with primary operational facilities in southern California. Listed on the Toronto exchange since November 2015, GreenPower completed its U.S. IPO and NASDAQ listing in August 2020. For further information, go to www.greenpowermotor.com.

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The U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Trump administration can temporarily hold on to $4 billion in foreign aid funding approved by Congress, overturning a lower court’s order and continuing a struggle over who controls the nation’s purse strings. 

The one-page ruling from the emergency docket, signed by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., came just one day after the administration appealed the lower court’s ruling. 

While the original lawsuit over withheld foreign aid began in February and stemmed from an executive order, the Trump administration sent Congress a rescissions request covering some of the spending in late August. 

The proposal is part of the formal process laid out in a 1974 law that allows the president to ask lawmakers to cancel previously approved spending. 

Congress typically has 45 days to approve, modify, or disagree with a rescissions request. During that time the president can legally freeze the funding and only has to spend it if lawmakers don’t approve the plan.  

This particular rescission request, however, was sent to lawmakers within 45 days of the end of the fiscal year, creating a dispute that complicated the nature of the original lawsuit. 

That maneuver, sometimes called a pocket rescission, is considered illegal by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office and several members of Congress, though White House budget director Russ Vought believes it’s within the bounds of the law. 

Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in the Trump administration’s appeal that the federal district court’s order to spend the funding “requires the Executive Branch to rush to obligate the same $4 billion that the President has just proposed rescinding between now and September 30, and thus puts the Executive Branch at war with itself.”

“Just as the President is pressing for rescission and explaining to Congress that obligating these funds would harm U.S. foreign policy interests, his subordinates are being forced to proceed to identify and even negotiate with potential recipients,” he added. 

The Supreme Court’s decision Tuesday doesn’t address whether the justices agree with the administration that it can refuse to spend the billions in foreign aid since it sent the rescissions request close to the end of the fiscal year. 

Roberts wrote “that the September 3, 2025 order of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, case Nos. 1:25-cv-400 and 1:25-cv-402, is hereby partially stayed for funds that are subject to the President’s August 28, 2025 recission proposal currently pending before Congress pending further order of the undersigned or of the Court. It is further ordered that a response to the application be filed on or before Friday, September 12th, 2025, by 4 p.m. (EDT).”

Electric school bus manufacturer GreenPower Motor Company signed a multimillion-dollar contract with New Mexico for a pilot program at the same time it is facing obstacles with a similar West Virginia project and perilous corporate finances.

The company announced Aug. 4 that the $5 million-plus New Mexico contract resulted from an award made by the state under a request for proposals published in May for participation in a two-year, all-electric school bus pilot project. GreenPower stated the project would deploy three Type A Nano BEAST school buses during the 2025-2026 school year, and three Type D BEAST and Mega BEAST school buses in the coming months.

Those vehicles, the first three scheduled for deployment the week of Sept. 15, are expected to “rotate around the state in five pilot rounds each school year with each round lasting six weeks.” The company, which is partnering with Highland Electric Fleets to install and implement the necessary charging infrastructure, will also provide training for the school bus drivers, mechanics and the community’s first responders to “help ensure a seamless testing period.”

GreenPower President Brendan Riley said via a press release that the New Mexico project is “leveraging the successful pilot that GreenPower conducted in West Virginia but also has a concentration on evaluating charging options and infrastructure.”

At the same time, GreenPower has faced several headwinds this year in West Virginia with a similar contract that also began with a pilot. The electric school bus manufacturer took ownership of its South Charleston plant in August 2022 and eight months later entered into an agreement with the state to sell $15 million worth of BEAST and Nano BEAST models. The state also agreed to pay GreenPower a $3 million deposit.

Separately, GreenPower and the state signed an agreement for an additional $18.6 million in ESBs awarded by the EPA Clean School Bus Program in 2024 to seven county school districts.

But West Virginia Metro News reported last month GreenPower had only delivered about a dozen of the promised 41 ESBs as of this past spring.

The state claims breach of contract. GreenPower CEO Fraser Atkinson said the reality is far more nuanced. During a phone call Thursday, Atkinson told School Transportation News several factors have hindered the company’s ability to deliver the ESBs.

“We have either delivered or we had vehicles ready to go, to be delivered to every single one of those counties,” he said.

Among the issues, Atkinson added, some school districts have not signed required documents with the EPA and GreenPower’s West Virginia dealer, Matheny, to accept the ESBs. In at least one other case, Atkinson said a county did not have available the older diesel school bus EPA required to be scrapped, so the new ESB couldn’t be delivered.

“Even if the dealer came forward and said, well, don’t worry about this other part, let’s just deliver the vehicle, you still have to worry about it,” he added. “We [would not be] compliant with the program.”

He also noted some counties still don’t have electric infrastructure installed. While GreenPower could still deliver those school buses, Atkinson noted that ESBs can’t sit in a parking lot for months on end without being operated like internal combustion vehicles can.
“There’s a much higher level of ongoing maintenance that you need to have on these vehicles if you’re not using them almost every day,” he added.

A West Virginia official contacted by STN declined comment because the issue is ongoing, and a request for comment from Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s office had not been answered at this report.

Hiccoughs With State Inspections and Maintenance

Meanwhile, Atkinson said some counties are having success with GreenPower. But not all say they are. Tony Harris, transportation director for the Monongalia County Schools serving the Morgantown and surrounding area, said the state’s second-largest district received a GreenPower Beast and a Nano Beast, which met his expectations at first.

However, he added, “We have been working with the West Virginia Department of Education, Department of Transportation and GreenPower in regard to a few issues where the buses do not meet the state specifications for a school bus.”

Harris clarified that the unmet state specifications center on failed state inspections for items such as the parking brake release, the color of loading light switches, non-working window defroster fans, and controls for exterior mirrors not working.

Atkinson said GreenPower has worked closely with the state on specifications but commented that not all state inspectors may have the same perspective on what constitutes an out-of-service item, especially as this could be their first experience with an electric school bus.

Still, he noted that any issues keeping school buses sidelined are “a concern.”

“Is there an educational process? I think you’re absolutely right. In hindsight, if all the parties had been in the same room 2 1/2 three years ago and worked through [the issues] …,” he said. “But the flip side is, until you’re actually in the field looking at these things in real time, you probably couldn’t have guessed what all the different issues or potential considerations that needed to be discussed are at the outset. It is a bit of trial and error.”

Harris also expressed disappointment about school bus-related services, which is “an area that has not come close to meeting expectations set for all vendors.”

“We have not been able to obtain stock inventory to have on-hand when something breaks on one of the buses,” he continued. “We have requested training several times for our mechanics on how to service the buses for our preventative maintenance schedules. The mechanics have received some training when representatives have been onsite to address issues when they have been onsite, but no formal training has been provided.”

He said training has so far consisted of what to do in the case of a battery issue or fire.

“A lot of the preventive maintenance items are typical in all school buses, but there are some unique things when it comes to EV school buses,” he said. “Also, we have no access to software or manuals to diagnose problems when they arise. We have requested these products at different times. We have these products for other bus types.”

Atkinson commented that GreenPower is very concerned about any high-voltage work necessary on its school buses.

“Our approach is, until they’re up to speed with the basics, we like to or prefer to take responsibility for anything that could be related to the high-voltage battery system,” adding dealer Matheny has limited experience working with GreenPower’s technology.

Harris said that the district has had to adjust its operations “considerably” after the delivery of the buses.

“We have two of the Nano BEAST buses in our fleet that have run no more than a month on routes since we took delivery of them. These buses have less than 3,000 miles on each of them,” he said, adding the school buses serve special needs and McKinney-Vento student populations. “We have four of the BEAST buses in our fleet, and one has been off the road since June due to defects found during an annual state inspection of the bus. The other three BEAST buses have been taken off the road [last] week due to issues that do not allow us to continue to use them at this time. By taking these buses off the road, it has impacted our bus routes due to the capacity of the buses and not having the same size buses in our spare bus fleet. The one BEAST bus has just over 4,000 miles on it, and this is because it was part of the state pilot program. The other three have less than 3,000 miles on them.”

Meanwhile, John Droppelman, director of support services with the Mineral County Schools, said in an email, “We have not received our two GreenPower buses. We have not received any information from GreenPower in quite some time. I do not expect to ever receive the promised buses. Information about the production and distribution of the GreenPower buses is scarce.”

Atkinson commented, “It’s the early days and there are things that have to get sorted out.” But he continued that, across the electric school bus market, he sees some school districts that have yet to buy-in to electrification, which complicates matters.

“If you have a good partner, they’ll work with you, and they’ll get the vehicles to a place where they’re just not encountering many issues or problems,” he said.

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At the same time, GreenPower has been unable to fully staff its South Charleston manufacturing facility. The agreement with West Virginia listed the goal of 900 jobs filled by the end of last year.

“We don’t get paid a cent until a bus is delivered,” Atkinson told STN.

In turn, he added, the company cannot promise its plant workers the necessary weekly hours.

The West Virginia MetroNews Network reported May 26 that confirmed more than a dozen employees had been notified by email three days earlier that they had been laid off. The company did not confirm the exact number of employees who had been laid off, but the network quoted GreenPower’s Riley saying, “The imposition of new tariffs has significantly increased our operational costs and disrupted our ability to build and deliver buses in a timely manner.”

He added that restructuring and other cost-cutting measures were not sufficient to prevent the layoffs.

MetroNews reported last month that GreenPower indicated it employed fewer than 100 workers even before the spring layoffs.

Resulting Financial Uncertainty

Amid all of this, BDO Canada LLP released its independent audit of GreenPower as of March 31, which stated that “the company has suffered recurring losses from operations and has an accumulated deficit that raises substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.”

A statement by GreenPower issued in July of its financial status at the time noted that revenues for the fiscal year that ended March 31 fell 49.5 percent from the previous year — down from $39,271,839 to $19,847,279 — and experienced a total comprehensive loss of $18,511,895.

GreenPower contends that tariffs are “causing much harm to the entire school bus manufacturing sector. This business instability and the significantly increased costs impacts all school bus manufacturers whether they are producing electric, diesel, propane, or gas school buses. The implications are staggering. If a school bus manufacturer were able to pass these costs on to a school district, it would amount to a tax on the government as the cost would be paid by either local, state or federal government funding.

“But a school bus original equipment manufacturer (OEM) cannot pass on the increased cost since there are state contracts in place for the purchase of school buses,” the company continued. “The new tariffs leave no pathway for a school bus OEM to build vehicles in the U.S., and it completely halts GreenPower’s efforts to on-shore and friend-shore the supply chain, especially non-Chinese battery cells and components.”

An interim Q1 2026 earnings statement released Aug. 15 for the period ending June 30 showed gross revenue fell by 48 percent from the same period last year to $1.549 million, with gross profit at $361,682 after deducting the cost of sales, which actually represents a 63 percent increase from June 2025.

But the statement notes Greenpower anticipates it will not be in compliance with the minimum debt service coverage ratio at the end of the current fiscal year because it has not generated positive EBITDA in the previous four quarters. The outstanding balance on the term loan facility was $3.59 million as of June 30.

The interim statement echoed the warning of the auditor this spring.

“The company’s ability to achieve its business objectives is subject to material uncertainty, which casts substantial doubt upon the company’s ability to continue as a going concern,” it says.

Ryan Gray contributed to this report.

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New heat-transfer system targets HVAC’s biggest inefficiencies, delivering up to 10x the performance without refrigerants, pumps, or significant energy input. When it comes to building a sustainable energy future, there are two sides to the equation: generation and demand. While most of the attention has been placed on producing more clean power, there’s an equally …

The post A New HVAC “Force” Cuts Energy, Boosts Efficiency appeared first on Alternative Energy HQ.

(WASHINGTON, DC) — The Trump administration has launched an unprecedented attack on America’s offshore wind industry, directing six federal agencies – including the Health and Human Services Department and the Defense Department – to draft plans to undermine renewable energy projects already underway. The White House, led by Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Senior …

The post Sun Day Campaign Condemns Trump Administration’s “All-Out Assault” on Offshore Wind Industry appeared first on Alternative Energy HQ.

Renewable Energy is Not Causing Energy Cost Spikes, Coal is Washington, D.C. – Today, Donald Trump published on Truth Social that “Any State that has built and relied on WINDMILLS and SOLAR for power are seeing RECORD BREAKING INCREASES IN ELECTRICITY AND ENERGY COSTS.” This is false.   Energy Innovation reported that “states with the largest increases in wind and …

The post Trump Spreads Desperate Lies to Deflect Blame for High Energy Prices appeared first on Alternative Energy HQ.

Four New Nuclear Reactors and Forever Radioactive Waste in Calhoun County, Texas First Intervention Against SMRs in the U.S. LONG MOTT, Texas – This week, San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper (Waterkeeper) intervened to stop four proposed experimental nuclear power reactors targeted for Long Mott, Texas – a community in coastal Calhoun County – the first …

The post San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper Challenges  appeared first on Alternative Energy HQ.

Washington, D.C. – According to reporting, the Environmental Protection Agency plans to rescind all $7 billion of Solar For All grants.   The Solar For All grant was passed into law as part of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 to expand access to affordable and reliable solar energy to low-income regions across the country. 60 projects have been …

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(WASHINGTON, DC) — Today, it was reported that the Trump administration is preparing to cancel $7 billion in federal solar grants intended to help low- and moderate-income families access rooftop and community solar. The decision would eliminate the Solar for All program, a cornerstone of recent federal efforts to lower energy costs and expand access to clean …

The post Sun Day Responds to Trump’s Attempt to Kill $7B in Solar Grants: “A Direct Attack on American Families” appeared first on Alternative Energy HQ.

SANTA FE, N.M., – GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (Nasdaq: GP) (TSXV: GPV) (“GreenPower”), a leading manufacturer and distributor of all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles serving the cargo and delivery market, shuttle and transit space and school bus sector, today announced it has signed a contract with the state of New Mexico to implement an all-electric school bus pilot project. The contract is the result of an award made by the state under an RFP published in May.

The two-year pilot project will deploy three GreenPower Type A all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission Nano BEAST Access school buses in the first school year (2025-26), and three GreenPower Type D all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission BEAST and Mega BEAST school buses in the second school year (2026-27). The shool buses will rotate around the state in five pilot rounds each school year with each round lasting six weeks. GreenPower will install charging systems, provide training for the drivers, mechanics and the community’s first responder and help ensure a seamless testing period.

The contract between GreenPower and the state of New Mexico provides more than $5 million for the purchase of vehicles, cost of charging infrastructure and overall management of the pilot. GreenPower will support the implementation of the project from a location to be established in New Mexico. Based on voluntary requests to participate, school districts are currently being selected by the state to participate in the pilot. The manufacturing of the three Nano BEAST Access school buses is substantially complete and they will be ready for deployment for Round 1 the week of September 15.

“The New Mexico pilot project provides an opportunity to expand the reach of GreenPower’s zero-emission school bus product and gives parents, kids and school districts in the state the opportunity to evaluate the transition to all-electric, purpose-built school buses,” said GreenPower President Brendan Riley. “The project is leveraging the successful pilot that GreenPower conducted in West Virginia, but also has a concentration on evaluating charging options and infrastructure.”

The pilot will include both Level 3 DC fast chargers and Level 2 slow chargers for the Nano BEAST Access school buses, and will evaluate Level 3 DC fast charging in the second year with the BEAST school buses. A part of the second year will be a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) evaluation using the GreenPower Mega BEAST. The Mega BEAST is a 40-foot Type D all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission school bus that delivers a class-leading range of up to 300 miles on a single charge because of its massive 387 kWh battery pack. The range of the Mega BEAST is greater than any electric school bus in it’s class. It has more uphill climbing power and the most compelling and cost effective V2G capability for a more stable electric grid and community sustainability in areas where it is deployed.

“We are particularly interested in evaluating charging as a part of the pilot project,” said Mark Roper, Director of the Economic Development Division within the New Mexico Economic Development Department. “Range, charging rates and grid resiliency are critical components of switching to all-electric, zero-emission vehicles.”

GreenPower is partnering with Highland Electric Fleets to install and implement the charging infrastructure necessary for the pilot. In a letter to the state, Highland’s Chief Commercial Officer Brian Buccella shared the company’s commitment to supporting GreenPower in assessing charging infrastructure and creating a reliable EV pilot project in New Mexico. “Our experience delivering and operating electric school buses at scale positions us well to assist in the successful execution of this pilot program. This initiative presents an opportunity to reduce transportation-related emissions in New Mexico communities, protect student health and modernize school transportation,” Buccella said.

About GreenPower Motor Company Inc.
GreenPower designs, builds and distributes a full suite of high-floor and low-floor all-electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles, including transit buses, school buses, shuttles, cargo van and a cab and chassis. GreenPower employs a clean-sheet design to manufacture all-electric vehicles that are purpose built to be battery powered with zero emissions while integrating global suppliers for key components. This OEM platform allows GreenPower to meet the specifications of various operators while providing standard parts for ease of maintenance and accessibility for warranty requirements. GreenPower was founded in Vancouver, Canada with primary operational facilities in southern California. Listed on the Toronto exchange since November 2015, GreenPower completed its U.S. IPO and NASDAQ listing in August 2020. For further information go to www.greenpowermotor.com

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Arkansas hospital increases energy efficiency by diagnosing cooling tower issues and treating its entire mechanical system.Healthcare facilities require a substantial amount of energy to operate. In fact, the average hospital consumes approximately 250% more energy than a comparably sized commercial building, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. As hospitals face increasing financial pressure to …

The post From Cooling Towers to Cost Savings: Hospital Seizes Power-Saving Opportunity appeared first on Alternative Energy HQ.

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By harnessing the power of nature, engineers are looking to tap into vortex wind as a source of abundant energy When it comes to alternative energies, wind and solar power are currently attracting about 95% of all investments worldwide, according to a recent report from IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency). Both are considered excellent alternative energy sources: …

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