The following letter was sent by email from the Delaware Senate Republicans.
Gov. John Carney and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control are moving forward with adopting California’s zero-emission vehicle standards. Once the regulation is fully implemented, 35% of a new automobile dealership’s stock would have to be electric vehicles by 2025. Beginning in 2035, no new gas- or diesel-powered vehicles weighing 14,000 pounds or less can be sold within the state of Delaware. In other words, DNREC, through regulations rather than legislation, will ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles in just over a decade.
The negative economic impact this mandate will have is hard to fathom. Independently owned vehicle repair shops will likely go out of business. Electric rates will rise. There will be less fuel taxes collected into the Transportation Trust Fund, thus jeopardizing future road improvements. The cost to purchase a new vehicle will dramatically rise, as EVs are priced $10,000 more than the automobile industry average. Once the 100,000-mile warranty for a battery expires, a replacement can cost upwards of $16,000.
Additionally, the infrastructure is not currently in place to accommodate this regulation, nor will it likely be in place by 2035. Convenience stores such as Wawa and Royal Farms will have to completely revamp their layout. Residents in urban areas may not have access to charging stations unless cities install them at each parking location.
This must be stopped. Please contact Gov. John Carney (John.Carney@delaware.gov, 302-577-8154) and DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin (Shawn.Garvin@delaware.gov) and tell them you oppose their mandate. Be sure to also include your local legislators.
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.
