by Hudson Kamphausen CTNewsJunkie
HARTFORD, CT – Republican lawmakers were largely opposed to phasing out the sale of gas-powered vehicles, and on Tuesday they pitched their plan to improve the environment.
The Republican proposal would see the state expand tax credits to all fuel-efficient vehicles as a way to reduce emissions, and would also generate $24.6 million revenue to be earmarked for environmental causes.
The purpose of the plan, Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly said, was to put forth a set of goals that are more achievable and practical than a full ban by 2035. Plans to phase in the ban were canceled last year when Gov. Ned Lamont withdrew the proposal before a split Regulations Review Committee was to decide whether to write it into law.
“It is possible to make Connecticut both cleaner and greener, and it is possible to do that without onerous government mandates which hurt our most vulnerable residents,” Kelly said at a press conference.
The plan would also have the state invest in expanding public transportation, as well as other energy-efficient and carbon-free initiatives. Much of that funding would come from the $4 billion Connecticut will receive from the federal government over the next five years for highways and bridges.
Kelly said he does not yet know how much the plan will cost, or how many years it would take to be implemented.
Sen. Stephen Harding, R-New Fairfield, said that the policy was more practical than a full ban on gasoline-powered vehicles, also called internal-combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and that it would lead to better results.
While Kelly said that he does support electric vehicles, he also said he does not think they are a solution for everyone in Connecticut, namely low-income families. The hang-up is similar to one that urban lawmakers in the Democratic caucus have expressed.
Although Democratic policymakers vowed to prioritize the eventual adoption of the regulations, news that it will not be passed ahead of this year’s regular session reflects recent comments made by Senate President Martin Looney, who has said that leaders were “still a distance away from having a bill” ready for a vote.
Looney, D-New Haven, and other legislators including members of the legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus have voiced concerns that the transition may have a disparate impact on lower-income communities. Residents who can’t afford to install chargers attached to their homes may be forced to utilize more expensive public chargers, they argue.
“We are really concerned about the equity aspects of all of this,” Looney has said.
Sen. Christine Cohen, D-Guildford, said in a statement Tuesday that she was pleased to hear of the Senate Republicans’ support for ongoing environmental initiatives in the face of a growing climate crisis.
“Connecticut has long been a national leader on the issues that the public cares about and I welcome the support from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle as we fight the debilitating impacts of global climate change,” Cohen, co-chair of the Transportation Committee, said.