By Larisa Manescu, Associate Press Secretary, Clean Transportation For All, Sierra Club
HARRISBURG, PA -- Last night, the Pennsylvania House passed SB 845, a bill that would impose an annual registration fee of $175 for drivers of electric vehicles and $75 for drivers of hybrid vehicles, a strong disincentive that cancels out the benefits of consumer rebates and threatens to slow the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.
This surprise move comes as the lame duck legislative session comes to a close and could be fast-tracked in the Senate with minimal debate because the fee provisions were tacked on to an unrelated bill that already passed in that chamber.
In response to the bill’s passage, Tom Schuster, the Clean Energy Program Director at Sierra Club’s Pennsylvania Chapter, released the following statement:
“The Sierra Club opposes the House’s passage of SB 845 and urges the Senate to reject this punitive fee on drivers of low-emitting and pollution-free vehicles; if this bill makes it to Governor Wolf’s desk, we strongly urge him to veto it. Transportation is the largest source of climate-disrupting pollution around the nation and is responsible for a quarter of Pennsylvania’s emissions, making the transition to clean, electric vehicles critical to clean up our dirty air, cut climate emissions, and protect the health of our communities.
“This fee imposes a disproportionate burden on the drivers of electric and hybrid vehicles at a time when it is critical to do the opposite -- we must incentivize widespread adoption and ensure that Pennsylvanians of all income levels can afford these vehicles.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
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