Lamont expresses hope for special session on EV push
But a number of holdouts within his own party threaten stall
HARTFORD — Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday said lawmakers could hold a vote soon on his administration’s push to follow California’s lead in phasing out sales of gaspowered cars, even as a number of holdouts within his own party threaten to stall the measure.
If approved, the governor’s proposal would have Connecticut join a dozen other states that have pledged to complete the transition switch to having all new vehicles running on fully electric or plug-in hybrid engines by 2035.
While lawmakers are already scheduled to convene a three-month legislative session in Hartford next month, Democratic leaders have signaled their strong desire to address the EV issue during a special session in January — denying Republicans the ability to take time away from other issues by filibustering the bill.
When asked about potential for a special session following a speech Thursday in Hartford, Lamont responded that he’d been “told” that dates for the session would be Jan. 30th and 31st, a week before the start of the regular session on Feb. 7. A spokeswoman for the governor later confirmed that House and Senate leaders had communicated those dates to the governor’s office.
Also on Thursday, House Democrats held a caucus meeting that left House Speaker Matt Ritter, D- Hartford, “feeling pretty good” about prospects for adopting the California plan. Regarding the late January dates, Ritter said that he advised his members to keep those days open, though he added that more meetings and votecounting needs to occur before asking Lamont to formally call lawmakers into a special session.
“If we we’re to go into special session, that would be the right time to do it,” Ritter said. “Whether or not we go into next session, I probably won’t know until next week.”
Senate Democrats, meanwhile, have yet to caucus the governor’s proposal or set a date for when they may take it up, according to Majority Leader Bob Duff, D- Norwalk.
“Obviously this is an important issue and one we want to resolve,” Duff said. “We will continue to work in any number of ways to move this issue forward.”
Republicans remain staunchly opposed to adopting California’s timeline for the transition to EVs, which they argue will strain the region’s electric grid and place burdensome costs on consumers. House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, chalked up talk of a late-January special session to “rumors” being spread by supporters of the plan.
“Democrats are struggling to figure out how to get a win, without implementing a mandate,” Candelora said Thursday.
Lamont had initially hoped to approve the measure as a set of regulations based on a two-decade old state law pledging to adopt California’s air emissions standards, rather than the weaker set of standards set by the federal government.
Momentum for that plan began to sputter in November, however, when Lamont was forced to pull the regulations from review by a bipartisan legislative panel, after it became clear that measure lacked the support necessary for passage.
Resistance to the proposal has been particularly strong among Democrats representing dense urban districts, where
“Obviously this is an important issue and one we want to resolve. We will continue to work in any number of ways to move this issue forward.” Majority Leader Bob Duff, D- Norwalk
they note that many residents live in apartment blocks that lack the necessary charging infrastructure — or even a dedicated parking space — to plug in an EV batteries.
During a public forum earlier this week hosted by the influential Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, several members spoke up to express lingering concerns about the affordability and practicality of the vehicles. Rural lawmakers, too, have weighed in with their own concerns about the lack of pubic charging infrastructure.
“There is tremendous anxiety around range,” said state Rep. Robyn Porter, D- New Haven. “The consumer resistance is real, especially among those who feel forced to buy electric.”
In response to those concerns, Lamont said Thursday that he supports a proposal by Ritter and Senate President Pro-Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven, to approve the California plan on a provisional basis, with a pledge to allow lawmakers to vote on whether to continue with the phase-out after a few years.
He has also emphasized that the law would only dictate what new cars are made available by auto manufacturers. Individual drivers would be able to keep their older-model gas cars after 2035.
“If the charging stations are not going in, if you’re worried that there’s not enough lithium for batteries or whatever all the worries that people had were, we can take a second look at it,” Lamont said. “But don’t do it now, because we’re on track.”