Sen. Cicarella Urges Individual Choice for EVs & Legislative Input on Proposed Ban of Gas-Powered Vehicles

Key committee vote to be held on Nov. 28

Joins CT fuel distributors, truckers, farmers, and advocates to educate public on impact of mandates.

In advance of a Regulation Review Committee vote on Nov. 28, committee member State Sen. Paul Cicarella (R-North Haven) joined Senate and House Republican leaders to urge Democrats to “pump the brakes” on the Lamont administration’s proposal to ban the sales of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035 and send the proposed regulations back to the full legislature for more deliberation.

Sen. Cicarella said that the mandates, if enacted, will make the state more unaffordable for low- and middle-income families, bankrupt small businesses, put people out of work and require billions of dollars in upgrades to the state’s power grid and charging station infrastructure.

“Families, retirees, and business owners are beginning to learn what effects this proposal will have on their daily lives. This is a policy decision that should go beyond the scope of the Regulation Review Committee and have the full legislature—the voice of all Connecticut residents—vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on this life-altering policy. This process will enable people across the state to submit their comments and questions in a true public hearing. This is how our government should work,” said Sen. Cicarella.

Sen. Cicarella and his Republican colleagues said that the multiple question marks and contradictions surrounding the mandate’s achievability, affordability, and budgetary impact are all reasons to take a pause in order to understand their full ramifications.