“Electric cars, trucks, and buses are the future,” said CLF Senior Attorney Emily Green. “Cutting transportation emissions to zero is a critical piece of confronting the climate crisis and protecting public health from toxic exhaust. This is yet another example of states leading the way while the federal government turns back the clock on environmental progress.
“Combatting climate change means we have to break our dependence on fossil fuels and go electric,” said Staci Rubin, Senior Attorney at CLF. “Traditional buses are a menace, spreading toxic pollution in our communities and making people sick. These buses are a good first step in the MBTA’s promise to provide a 100% electric fleet, and that transformation needs to happen much faster than is planned.”
“Ending this rebate while the program is gaining such momentum is a huge lost opportunity,” said Amy Laura Cahn, Director of CLF’s Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice program and a member of the Massachusetts Zero Emission Vehicle Commission. “Gas-burning cars accelerate our climate crisis and pollute our neighborhoods, and the rebate program helps families make the switch to clean electric vehicles. Eliminating the program without providing alternatives takes away needed resources and threatens to set us back in reaching our climate goals.”
A bill filed last week in the Massachusetts state legislature would create a framework for self-driving cars and help lead the nation by putting in place several innovative and well-thought-out policies.
