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Defend Clean Cars in the Massachusetts Legislature on May 14

Picture of Anna Vanderspek Anna Vanderspek

On Wednesday, May 14, the energy committee in the Massachusetts legislature will hold a hearing on bills related to electric transportation – including four bills that would push back or remove altogether the deadline to phase out new gas-powered cars in Massachusetts and weaken the primary tool we have to facilitate this transition. Massachusetts residents, we need you to testify and/or send in written comments in opposition.

 

Testify to Defend the Transition to Electric Vehicles 

Are you here to take action? Here's the SCRIPT for oral testimony and the SCRIPT for written comments!

In the past couple of weeks, we’ve called on Massachusetts residents to call or email Governor Maura Healey and urge her not to delay key clean car regulations due to a coordinated attack on these standards from automakers and the fossil fuel lobby on a national and state basis. Right now, Governor Healey delaying regulations is the most immediate and dangerous threat, so if you haven’t taken action yet, do so! 

At the same time, the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is now under attack in the legislative branch as well, particularly in the Mass. House of Representatives.

On Wednesday, May 14, the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy will hold a hearing on many bills related to EVs. Two bills, Bill H.3490 and Bill H.3491, would undo the prohibition on the sale of new gas-powered cars after 2035 that Governor Baker signed into law back in 2022 with An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind. Two further bills, Bill H.3535 and Bill H.3572, would dramatically weaken key vehicle regulations in Massachusetts. Nearly all vehicles must be electric by 2050 to meet the required net-zero carbon emissions, and since vehicles stay on the road 10-15 years, the last new gas-powered car must be sold in 2035. 

To testify in opposition to these bills, you have two options. 

 

Testify, in person or virtually, at Wednesday’s hearing. 

  1. Register by filling out this form by 3 pm on Tuesday, May 14. Check off H.3535, H.3572, H.3490, or H.3491 (the form only lets you choose one bill) and choose “oppose.” 
  2. Email us at drivegreen@greenenergyconsumers.org to let us know you signed up! We’ll look for you at the hearing.
  3. On Wednesday, May 14, join the virtual meeting or arrive in room A-2 by 1 pm. The chairs of the committee will call people up one-by-one to testify. 
  4. When you’re called, speak for 3 minutes! Even though you only checked off one of the two bills when registering, you can mention both in your testimony. If you’re intimidated, don’t worry! You’re not going to be cross-examined, and we’ve prepared a script for you. 

Oral Testimony Template:

Hello, and thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. 

My name is _____, and I am a resident of _____, MA. 

I come before you today to share my opposition to H.3490, An Act relative to the sale of electric vehicles, H.3491, An Act relative to electric vehicles. Both bills undo the provision in the 2022 Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind that prohibits the sale of new gas-powered cars after 2035. I also oppose H.3535 and H.3572, both titled An Act relative to the sale of zero-emission vehicles, which would significantly weaken key vehicle regulations, Advanced Clean Cars II. 

By state law, Massachusetts must reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Transportation is the largest source of carbon emissions, and the state’s Clean Energy & Climate Plan makes it clear that we cannot reduce emissions to this level without converting nearly all of the fleet to electric vehicles. Since vehicles are generally on the road for 15 years, we cannot keep selling new gas cars after 2035. Increasing electric vehicle adoption also benefits our state economically and betters public health. 

I care about this issue because ____ (fill in with whatever is true for you: you want your next car to be electric and want to have access to all the models, you’re concerned about climate, public health, etc.) 

Thank you for this opportunity to provide comments. 

 

Send in written comments. 

If you prefer to send in written comments, you have until Wednesday, May 21, at 5 pm. Here are the steps. 

  1. Write your letter and save it as a document. Title it “H.3535, H.3572, H.3490, & H.3491 - Your Name – Oppose” and then use this template.
  2. Submit your comments. Email them as an attachment to Andrea Bolduc at Andrea.Bolduc@mahouse.gov and Benjamin Minerva at Ben.Minerva@masenate.gov, with a subject line of “.3535, H.3572, H.3490, & H.3491 - Oppose”.
  3. Email us to let us know you submitted written comments! We’d like to keep a running tally.

Written Testimony Template:

Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, & Energy 
24 Beacon St.  
Rooms 43 & 312-B 
Boston, MA 02133 

Date 

Dear Chair Barrett, Chair Cusack, Vice-Chair Brady, Vice-Chair Kushmerek, and members of the TUE committee; 

My name is _____, and I am a resident of _____, MA. I write share my opposition to H.3490, An Act relative to the sale of electric vehicles, H.3491, An Act relative to electric vehicles. Both bills undo the provision in the 2022 Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind that prohibits the sale of new gas-powered cars after 2035. I also oppose H.3535 and H.3572, both titled An Act relative to the sale of zero-emission vehicles, which would significantly weaken key vehicle regulations, Advanced Clean Cars II. 

By state law, Massachusetts must reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Transportation is the largest source of carbon emissions, and the state’s Clean Energy & Climate Plan makes it clear that we cannot reduce emissions to this level without converting nearly all of the fleet to electric vehicles. Since vehicles are generally on the road for 15 years, we cannot keep selling new gas cars after 2035. Increasing electric vehicle adoption also benefits our state economically and betters public health. 

I care about this issue because ____ (fill in with whatever is true for you: you want your next car to be electric and want to have access to all the models, you’re concerned about climate, public health, etc.) 

Thank you for this opportunity to provide comments. 

Sincerely, 

Your Name

 

Call Your Representative 

We don’t expect the bills listed above to make a lot of headway in the Senate, but these bills passing through the House of Representatives is a threat. A very quick and effective step you can take in addition to the others is to call or email your House Representative. 

  1. Use this tool to find your Representative.
  2. Call or email them using the script above! 

 

Need More Context? 

We’ve talked a lot about EVs and the coordinated attack to slow down the transition in the past couple of weeks.

Here are some key resources for your perusal: 

  • A webinar about the many benefits of transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) as a society (not just environmental, and not just for EV drivers) 
  • A blog post urging Massachusetts residents to call Governor Healey in support of the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACCII) regulations (if you haven’t done this yet, please do!!) 
  • A blog post about the public health benefits of EVs for World Asthma Day 

All of this is happening in the context of a broader push against clean energy, again fueled by the fossil fuel lobby, but Massachusetts cannot backslide on climate policy.  

 

Some Bills To Support 

We’ve been busy playing defense, but there are lots of good bills being heard, too! Here’s a list. Feel free to use the general instructions about testimony in this blog post to come out in support of these bills as well.

  • Bill S.2246, An Act aligning the commonwealth's transportation plans with its mandates and goals for reducing emissions and vehicle miles traveled: Directs executive agencies to track, assess, and eventually reduce vehicle-miles-traveled and also requires the Department of Transportation to incorporate an assessment of greenhouse gas impacts into its decision-making for transportation investment plans. 
  • Bill H.3448, An Act setting deadlines to electrify school buses and public fleets and establishing programs to encourage private fleet electrification, which sets targets for the electrification of public fleets, with different deadlines for light-duty and medium/heavy-duty vehicles.
Tags:
Energy policy & advocacy Massachusetts Electric vehicles/Transportation Climate change Phasing out fossil fuels Action Alert

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