November 27, 2023

Rep. Foncello, CT GOP lawmakers: “Pump the brakes” on proposed ban on gas-powered vehicle sales

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Key committee vote to be held on Nov. 28

In advance of a key legislative committee vote on Nov. 28, Representative Martin Foncello (R-107) joined members of the Connecticut House and Senate Republican caucuses 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.

The lawmakers said 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.

“Government shouldn’t be telling people what kind of vehicle they can drive. If this is the way the market is headed, we should let the market take the lead on this issue. When tractor trailers come into the picture, the weight of the batteries will force shippers to reduce the weight of goods being transported thus increasing the price of goods,” said Foncello. “I don’t believe our infrastructure will meet this aggressive timeline given the current status of related supply chains. Unless there are drastic improvements, I also have concerns about the ability of the electric grid to keep up.”

The legislature’s Regulation Review Committee will vote on the mandate during the panel’s Nov. 28 meeting.

Representatives of Connecticut’s fuel distributors and truckers say the state’s move to adopt California regulations to phase out gasoline powered cars and trucks in favor of electric vehicles is “too much, too soon,” and will ultimately drive-up costs.

The Republican lawmakers said 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.

Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly and House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora support moving Connecticut off of the California regulatory scheme and following the EPA regulations, like 32 other states, which require reduced emissions but do not mandate EVs.