Sen. Kelly: Lamont administration must hold EV mandate hearing in-person & delay hearing date

For Immediate Release

Sen. Kelly: Lamont administration
must hold electric vehicle mandate hearing in-person

Urges one week delay on hearing date

Demanding more accessibility and transparency, Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly today said the Lamont administration’s upcoming public hearing to enact new emissions mandates that require all new passenger vehicle sales to be electric by 2035 should be delayed by one week and held in-person.

The Aug. 22 hearing is currently only accessible via Zoom.

“Why is such a major potential policy change a Zoom-only event?” Sen. Kelly asked.  “Low- and middle-income families who stand to be most negatively impacted by this mandate are currently being denied a chance to show up in-person at the State Capitol to speak out about it.  People who don’t have the technology to testify remotely or the financial capability to Zoom will have their voices silenced.  We must enable people to show up in-person in order to question this policy and tell state bureaucrats why they cannot afford these luxury vehicles.  This hearing must be delayed by a week so that it can be an in-person hearing, and it must be held in The People’s House.  This is a reasonable request.”

On Aug. 16, Republican lawmakers held a press conference to raise questions and concerns about the mandates.