California Governor signs 6 bills to support burgeoning EV market, including $2B AB 8
28 September 2013
Marking National Plug-in Day (NPID), California Governor Jerry Brown signed 6 bills to support California’s burgeoning electric vehicle market, including the $2-billion AB 8 (earlier post), which will continue clean vehicle and fuel incentives through 2023.
The legislation builds on the state’s efforts to help California’s electric vehicle market grow, including an Executive Order issued by Governor Brown that established a target of 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road in California by 2025 and a number of other long-term goals. The newly signed bills are:
AB 8, a measure that will continue the state’s clean vehicle and fuel incentives through 2023. Assembly Bill 8 passed on a bipartisan vote and will provide more than $2 billion in funding to help fleets and consumers purchase clean and low carbon cars, trucks, buses, and construction equipment. This bill represents the largest financial commitment by a state to cleaning up its transportation sector.
Under AB 8, programs that will be extended include the AB 118 clean fuel and vehicle programs and the Carl Moyer and AB 923 local air district funds for diesel emission reduction. The bills also dedicate funding, in lieu of regulatory action, to construct the fueling infrastructure necessary to support the impending introduction of zero emission hydrogen fuel cell cars.
AB 266 extends the white sticker program allowing for certain low-emission vehicles to drive in high-occupancy or “diamond” lanes until 2019 or until federal authorization expires. (Earlier post.)
SB 286 extends the green sticker program allowing for certain low-emission vehicles to drive in high-occupancy or “diamond” lanes until 2019 or until federal authorization expires.
AB 1092 requires the California Building Standards Commission and the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop standards for electric vehicle charging infrastructure in multi-family housing and non-residential developments.
SB 359 provides $30 million to fund the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project and the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project; $10 million to fund the Heavy-Duty Vehicle Air Quality Loan Program; and appropriates $8 million for the enhanced fleet modernization program.
SB 454 creates the Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Open Access Act, which removes obstacles to using electric vehicles by making electric vehicle charging stations accessible to all electric vehicle drivers, easier to locate and more convenient to use.
I heard the other day (well, I actually read it) that California through tax increases and spending cuts, now has a balance budget and will in the near future pay off their debt, all happening under a democratic administration that supports new industries. Is this correct? Are the democrats actually the fiscally responsible party?
Posted by: Brotherkenny4 | 30 September 2013 at 08:29 AM
This has always been the case in USA?
Republicans created most of the current and past deficits by spending too much on expensive wars and Coal/Oil/NG industries subsidies?
Posted by: HarveyD | 30 September 2013 at 02:15 PM
Being fiscally responsible is to live within your means. It is not fiscally responsible to keep raising taxes to cover your irresponsibility. Tax hikes have forced many businesses to leave California. Whatever taxes were used to fill the deficit will be again wasted on the boondoggle train to nowhere.
Posted by: Larzen | 02 October 2013 at 09:12 AM
Larzen: Yet they are the eighth largest economy in the world. So apparently, those businesses were not good and could only make it where special compensations are made for them. You know, like how we as a nation subsidize the security of the oil fields with our tax dollars and the lives of our children, because if not, the oil companies would not be sustained in their position of enrichment. What part of hidden compensation by the tax payers is fiscally responsible?
Posted by: Brotherkenny4 | 02 October 2013 at 01:53 PM
HAHAHAH! The 'balanced budget' ignores hundreds of billions in unfunded pension and health care liabilities.
They have passed temporary tax increases but enacted permanent spending increases.
Don't give the demoncats too much credit.
Posted by: Jim | 03 October 2013 at 07:42 AM
Jim, Not unlike many other states and municipalities. Yet, when GOPer are in, deficits grow. You want debt, vote republican. And, the side benefit is that they are mean and cruel and you will feel the pain. Truthfully, you all should feel the pain because you are not worthy of God and God is unhappy with your joy in life, so if you want to make it into heaven and not burn in hell for eternity you should start whipping yourself now, and vote republican.
Posted by: Brotherkenny4 | 03 October 2013 at 09:03 AM
Bro, that doesn't explain the $16 trillion and growing deficit Obama has run-up. Obamacare will make it worse and his amnesty program itself will add another $6 trillion. Does the added debt and misery Obama seeks to give us make God happy?
Posted by: Jim | 03 October 2013 at 10:47 AM