Watch | ‘Battle over electric vehicles to take center stage at the state capitol’ (WFSB Eyewitness News)
March 12, 2024Story from WFSB:
Republicans and Democrats will be battling over electric vehicles.
There’s a bill on the table to conduct a study on EVs.
There’s plenty of concern over a potential mandate. Republicans argued that it would be a ban without a plan.
The General Assembly’s Transportation Committee planned to discuss electric vehicles on Wednesday.
It will be just the start of the conversation on EVs to begin to see how they could be made more affordable while more charging stations are added around the state.
Republicans said they are concerned just opening the door will lead to an EV mandate.
“Our fight against electric vehicle mandates is not over,” said Sen. Republican leader Stephen Harding and House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora. “Democrats will renew their push after Election Day to ban gas-powered vehicles and they’ll use this ‘roadmap’ as a selling point to justify their decision with a skeptical public, claiming they’ve researched and addressed with everyone’s concerns. The reality, though, is that this council created by this bill is a public relations tool designed to shoehorn our state into the California’s radical emissions standards. It isn’t a catalyst to develop solutions to citizens’ common sense concerns about cost, charging infrastructure and freedom of choice.”
They want to pump the brakes on talks. They said most of their constituents don’t want a ban on selling gas-powered vehicles.
“Where’s all this electricity going to come from?” asked Sen. Jeff Gordon, a Republican who represents Tolland. “Everywhere in the state?”
With Wednesday’s public hearing, Republicans said they expect plenty of opposition to show the committee how they feel.
