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Several years ago, when Democrats controlled the Legislative and Executive branches of government, they created a mandate that all new cars sold after 2035 in Virginia had to be fully electric. While this might have seemed like a good thing to help protect our environment, there was little consideration of whether this was even possible. Then, instead of passing legislation saying exactly that, they veiled it by declaring that Virginia would discontinue federal guidelines instead following California’s standard. Those standards were not even approved by the California Legislature but rather by bureaucrats with limited knowledge of how the world works.
They instituted mandates in 2022. Many assumed Virginia would have to follow even stricter guidelines. However, Attorney General Miyares opined that those changes did not mandate Virginia's compliance. Therefore, Virginia law should expire when California’s new regulation takes effect at the end of 2024.
For those who believe that automobiles ought to be electric, I appreciate their opinion. However, when the discussion began, there was no careful consideration of the consequences. No consideration of personal freedom! When the automobile was first introduced, there was no law demanding that horse-drawn buggies could no longer be sold in Virginia. Families made that decision based on what they learned about the advantages of the new automobile.
There was no consideration of any of the following that should have been debated: Could our power companies produce enough new electricity to handle the current needs and the demands of all our cars requiring recharging? We are currently finding out that they cannot. The ones pushing this are also the ones that are trying to discontinue the use of fossil fuel.
How, where, and at what expense would users charge these vehicles? Some could charge at home and be hooked to their own charging stations. Others would have to update their home’s electricity to avoid the risk of house fires. Thus, there is a need for public charging stations, which is rare other than urban areas.
Three years ago, President Biden awarded over $6 billion of your tax dollars to spread chargers to small-town America. Recently, it was reported that only a handful had been installed nationally. Proponents didn’t consider how disruptive this could be to small community convenience stores. Most are small merchants who sell gas and snacks. If the federal government awards a few charging stations to an area. There will be winners and losers. The winners will not be the family-operated stores but rather the corporate chains. Without re-fueling business, many of these stores will go out of business. This leaves all of us paying the price of monopolies or near-monopolies. Other issues should have been considered, but there are too many to address now. Governor Youngkin made the right decision. Let’s leave it to the free market and families to decide what is best for themselves.
As always, my staff and I are here to assist you with any issues or concerns you may have. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can be of service. You can reach us at 434.374.5129 or by email at [email protected]
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