[Comments sent today to Washington State Senator Christine Rolfes, Representative Tarra Simmons, and Representative Drew Hansen in support of SB 5257 (companion bill HB 1024) via https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5256.%5D
I first thought when I read that there was a bill that proposed banning new fossil-fuel cars in Washington from 2030 onward: “Well, that’ll never fly.” But then I read the details at https://www.coltura.org/washington-clean-cars, which explained the feasibility and the necessity of new cars being electric, and about the wisdom of us having an efficient electrical grid in Washington, and how going this course will cut greenhouse gases (transportation is the largest source of GHGs in Washington), lower costs for people (the new electric vehicles are on par with, or cheaper than, fossil-fuel cars—when all costs, such as maintenance, are accounted for), and add jobs (as we build the new renewable-fuels world). Under this bill, people can keep their old gas cars, but new cars from 2030 onward would be electric.
I now think it’s not only workable, but—given its benefits, and the huge climate strides we have to make—it’s necessary. The future is electric.
Micheal Maddox
Poulsbo
Michael Maddox Conservation 