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Bills encourage the use of electric vehicles and will help Colorado act on climate
(March 4) – The House Energy and Environment committee gave approval today to Rep. Alex Valdez and Rep. Donald Valdez’s bill to modify existing statute governing the existing electric vehicle grant fund.
“This bill will help address the threat of climate change and reduce carbon emissions by encouraging more Coloradans to purchase electric vehicles and increasing the travel range of EV’s,” said Rep. Alex Valdez, D-Denver. “These upgrades can help rural communities because when drivers have to charge their vehicles, they are going to stop in our rural towns, open their wallets and contribute to the economy.”
HB19-1198 allows the fund to be used to fully fund the installation of more charging stations for electric vehicles and help offset operation costs.
“It’s time that we bring more charging stations to the rural parts of Colorado. Doing so will help address climate change and expand the accessibility of electric vehicles and their benefits to all Colorado communities,” said Rep. Donald Valdez, D-La Jara.
HB19-1198 passed the committee 8-2 with bipartisan support and now heads to the House floor.
Rep. Alex Valdez’s Colorado Clean Pass Act also passed in the Energy and Environment committee. HB19-1199 expands the number of electric vehicle owners able that can receive discounted access to HOV, HOT, and Toll lanes by imposing a $35 annual fee. This bill updates the number of eligible cars on a regular basis and gets rid of the current waitlist for the program by lifting the cap on an annual basis.
That bill passed in the committee by 7-4 and heads to the Finance committee.