PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: April 23, 2020
Contact: Jonathan Ullman, Sierra Club: jonathan.ullman@sierraclub.org
City of Goleta to make Electric Car Charging easier
(Goleta, CA) - The City of Goleta voted Tuesday (4/21) to hit the accelerator on electric vehicles in advance of Earth Day.
The City will amend the building code to streamline permitting for electric car charging stations for homes, apartments, places of business and government. Under the change, online applications meeting safety considerations would receive permits promptly, according to the resolution.
“It was great to see Goleta take this action at their new virtual city council meetings, particularly during earth day week,” said Katie Davis, Chair of the Sierra Club Santa Barbara Group. “An impressive percentage of Goleta residents already drive electric vehicles, but these changes will help accelerate the shift away from oil to electric cars powered by renewable energy.”
The changes can’t come soon enough. Scientists say we have 12 years to reduce CO2 before severe and irreversible changes are made to the planet. Already we are experiencing more fires, extreme heat, drought and disease.
The new ordinance makes the city eligible for funding that could allow the city and others to receive state government subsidies for chargers within the city, bringing with it clean energy jobs.
Electric cars are easier than ever to purchase or lease with a large number of makes and models available.
The City of Goleta already demonstrated its opposition to offshore drilling last year voting to oppose ExxonMobil’s plan to operate 70 tanker trucks a day on the 101 a few miles from Goleta. Exxon is proposing the trucks to restart three aging offshore platforms shut down since the Refugio pipeline ruptured and dumped oil into the Santa Barbara Channel and along the Gaviota coast killing birds and sea life nearly 5 years ago. The Pipeline operator Plains All-American was criminally convicted for the disaster, which shut down Goleta beaches.
Tuesday’s vote supporting Electric Vehicles means the city will have met requirements for compliance with AB 1236 signed into law in 2015, helping the city meet climate goals set by the city and the state.
Link to list of rebates for EVs:
https://www.electricdrive805.org/rebates-incentives-for-vehicles/
Announcement of 1,000 public EV charging ports on the central coast:
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