(photo) Sen. Gordon: “The people have made their voices loud and clear.”

For Immediate Release

Sen. Jeff Gordon (R-35th District) today issued the following statement regarding the governor’s Nov. 27 withdrawal of proposed regulations requiring all new vehicles sold in Connecticut to be electric.

“Government works best when it listens to people. This is what I have been doing as a State Senator. I have been fighting and standing up for people to have their voices heard. Governor Lamont and the legislature’s Democratic majority heard what I and people across Connecticut had to say.  The onerous and not well-thought-out ban on fully gas/diesel powered cars, pick ups, and trucks has been withdrawn. A growing number of Democrats realized this as well and agreed with me.

The people have made their voices loud and clear. They do not want government mandates that tell them what they can and cannot do. They do not want to be tied to what is decided in other states, like California. They want to be the ones to decide. Your individual decision-making is important. You know best what is best for your family and you.

These mandates would have impacted hard-working people, families, retirees, farmers, and job-creating business in our communities. It would affect everyone’s lives and livelihoods. This is why a ban without any plan is a bad idea. We should not put the cart before the horse. We should plan and prepare wisely and with forethought.

We all want to do things to help the environment and deal with climate issues. I support realistic, responsible, and reasonable ways to address these concerns. The withdrawal of the mandates still keeps in place the federal EPA vehicle emission standards. In fact, the EPA standards already were updated this year to foster the movement toward more zero emission vehicles. We are not backtracking, but looking wisely and carefully to what to do for the future.

I support electric vehicles and people deciding if they want to buy an EV. The EV market is moving forward w/o mandates. The national and state governments can do things to support the EV market’s development and infrastructure needs. Let’s support these efforts.

I raised serious, legitimate concerns. Where will the extra electricity come from? Will there be enough reliable alternative energy sources? Will more natural gas have to be burned to generate more electricity? Who will pay the billions of dollars to expand transmissions lines and set up distribution centers and charging stations? Will you have to pay higher electricity costs? Will the cost of food and goods go up because farmers, businesses, and truckers have higher costs to pay? Connecticut already is a high cost of living state with high electricity bills. What happens if you or a small business and cannot afford an EV? Will there be enough charging stations when you need them?  These are real concerns I hear all the time from people throughout the 35th District.

Connecticut should and can do better. I am working with a bipartisan frame of mind to do just that proactively, using common sense, not partisan politics, for all of us in Connecticut. I will continue to listen to what you have to say and fight for you to get positive things done for us all.”

Sen. Gordon represents Ashford, Chaplin, Coventry, Eastford, Ellington, Hampton, Stafford, Thompson, Tolland, Union, Vernon, Willington, and Woodstock.