MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
NOVEMBER 28, THE CONNECTICUT GENERAL ASSEMBLY’S REGULATION REVIEW COMMITTEE WILL VOTE ON WHETHER OR NOT TO ULTIMATELY BAN THE PURCHASE OF NEW GASOLINE VEHICLES.
If approved, this would be a done deal and mandate the sale of electric vehicles only in the near future.
What this could mean to consumers: If approved, these new regulations would drive up the cost of gasoline, food, electricity, home heating fuel, used cars, and other goods and services.
Why? If approved on Nov. 28, Connecticut would start banning sales of new gasoline-powered cars and diesel trucks in just three years! By 2035, electric vehicles would be the only choice for new cars and trucks. Here’s a sample of what the new regulations would do.
- 2026: There would be a 35% ban on the sale of new gasoline/diesel vehicles
- 2028: The number jumps to a 51% ban; That’s just a little more than four years!
- 2035: A 100% ban on new gasoline-powered vehicles, trucks, tractor trailers, and farm equipment.
A trip to the grocery store, buying medicine, clothes, and other goods and services would all cost more. Why? Because electric trucks cost more and can’t travel as far. All costs would be passed on to consumers because businesses cannot afford to absorb the massive expenses associated with going all electric.
An electric tractor trailer costs $450,000 to $500,000 compared to $100,000 to $150,000 for a diesel one.
- Electric trucks also don’t last as long. The life span of an electric tractor trailer is 12 to 15 years versus 25 years for a diesel-powered one.
- Electric batteries are heavier and will limit the amount goods being transported.
- Electric trucks cannot travel as far.
- The range of an electric truck battery is only 300 miles or less.
- Charging takes 8 to 10 hours.
- Diesel trucks can travel up to 1,400 miles and fill up in 10 minutes.
- You would need four electric tractor trailers to do the work of one diesel tractor trailer. By putting more EV rigs on the road, this will increase traffic, cause supply issues, and there won’t be enough commercial truck drivers to meet the demand.
- Charging stations are also expensive. Each truck must have its own charging stations. A single megawatt charger for heavy trucks with two ports costs about $100,000.
Who loses: While everyone will be paying more for just about everything, low-and middle-income families will struggle the most. Many will be left behind as electric vehicles are more expensive and less accessible to people who cannot afford them.
This will not move the needle on climate change: Since the electric grid primarily uses natural gas to generate electricity, a switch to electric vehicles is moving the source of emissions from the tailpipe to the power plant smokestack.
What’s next: The Regulation Review Committee will vote on these proposed emission standards on November 28. The committee is bi-partisan and made up of 14 state lawmakers.
They are:
Rep. Lucy Dathan (co-chair) D-Norwalk, New Canaan
Sen. John A Kissel (co-chair) R-7th District, which includes East Granby, Enfield, Somers, Suffield, Windsor Locks and parts of Ellington, Granby, and Windsor.
Rep. Christie M. Carpino (R) 32nd District Cromwell, Portland
Sen. James Maroney (D) Milford, Orange, West Haven, Woodbridge
Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria (R) 105th district Beacon Falls, Derby, Seymour
Rep. Tom Arnone (D) Enfield
Rep. Bob Godfry (D) Danbury
Sen. John Hartley (D) Waterbury, Middlebury, Naugatuck
Sen. Kevin Kelly (R) 21st District which includes the towns of Monroe, Seymour, Shelton, and Stratford.
Rep. Ben McGorty (R) Shelton, Stratford, Trumbull
Sen. Cathy Osten (D) Columbia, Franklin, Hebron, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Marlborough, Montville, Norwich, and Sprague.
Rep. Kevin Ryan (D) Ledyard, Montville, Norwich
Rep. Craig Fishbein (R) Middlefield, Wallingford
Sen. Paul Cicarella (R) 34th District which includes the towns of Durham, East Haven, North Branford, North Haven, and Wallingford
What you can do: Lawmakers have said that they don’t believe people are concerned about these proposed emission standards because they haven’t heard from those who oppose it. Let’s change that! Email your lawmaker and let the know an all-electric future is risky for the people of Connecticut without a real plan to support it.
Click on this link to email your lawmaker. It only takes a few seconds.