Vermont could be going more electric in the wake of an investigation by the Vermont Public Utility Commission which aims to identify and eliminate barriers to electric vehicle adoption in-state.
The commission wants to target the transportation sector for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their state, citing climate change as a significant factor. While Vermont has already made progress in reducing such emissions by turning increasingly to renewable resources, the Commission said, fossil fuel emissions given off by cars and trucks continue to rise. Such transportation accounts for 47 percent of Vermont’s emissions, according to their findings.
“If Vermont is going to meet its statutory greenhouse-gas reduction goals, it is critical that the barriers to electric vehicle adoption be addressed and eliminated to the extent possible,” Commission Chair Anthony Roisman said. “The Commission believes that this can be accomplished through the collaboration of a wide variety of interested persons and entities engaged in creative thinking, with the goal of identifying innovative solutions to these barriers.”
Written filings and workshops will be conducted in cycles, targeting specific issues. A report will then be filed with the Vermont Legislature no later than July 1, 2019, containing the Commission’s analysis of the roadblocks to electric vehicle reduction, along with recommendations for how to counter them.