Electric vehicles, other environmental bill pass toward end of Virginia session
(The Center Square) – As the Virginia legislative session wound down, lawmakers reached agreements to pass bills promoting electric vehicles and other environmental initiatives.
The House of Delegates and the Senate passed two bills related to electric vehicles, one to provide a grant program and the other to provide rebates for purchasing electric vehicles. Both bills received substantial support from Democrats. The grant program received a modest level of Republican support, but the rebate program was mostly passed along party lines.
House Bill 2118 would establish competitive grants to public schools for replacing diesel school buses with electric buses, infrastructure to recharge these buses and workforce development training for the purpose of maintaining them. Funding could also be used by public, private and non-profit Virginia entities to assist with replacing the buses.
The grant program would be entirely funded with federal or other non-state money. No grants could be made available if these funds are unable to cover the entirety of the project, which means it will have no impact on the state budget.
House Bill 1979 would establish a $2,500 rebate for anyone who buys a new or used electric vehicle. A buyer or lessee with an annual household income that does not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level would receive another $2,000 in rebates for new vehicles and another $500 for used vehicles.
The legislation would begin for purchases in taxable year 2020 and expire Jan. 1, 2027. The fiscal impact statement estimates that this will cost the state about $29.4 million in 2023 and increase annually to $69.6 million in 2026. It would cost about $13.3 million in 2022 and about $39.8 million in 2027 because it would only affect half of the year.
House Bill 1811 would require that public bodies must have a preference for energy efficient and water efficient goods. If a body receives two or more bids on products that are Energy Star certified, the body must choose one of those bids. According to the fiscal impact statement, the cost to the state is indeterminate because it depends on the cost of the bids and the need departments will have.
This bill passed the House 55-44 and the Senate 27-11.
Lawmakers failed to pass legislation that would establish interagency environmental working groups.
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