Massachusetts House Passes GreenWorks Bill, Extends Essential Lifeline to Popular Electric Vehicle Rebate Program

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Contact: Larisa Manescu, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org 

BOSTON, MA -- Today, the Sierra Club, Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), Green Energy Consumers Alliance and Acadia Center released the following statement after the Massachusetts House passed the GreenWorks bill (H. 3987) on July 24 with an amendment to strengthen the MOR-EV program, a popular rebate program for drivers who purchase or lease electric vehicles. The $1.3 billion GreenWorks bond bill will help cities and towns in Massachusetts fund clean energy and climate resiliency programs, and includes allocations for deploying municipal microgrids and electric vehicles for municipal fleets. The bill is expected to be considered by the state Senate in the coming days.

At a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Commission meeting last month, state officials announced that the program would expire in September because of insufficient funding. The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Dykema (D - 8th Middlesex), offers $30 million in consumer rebates between $2,500 and $5,000 over the next ten years for the purchase or lease of electric vehicles.

“We applaud the Massachusetts House for extending the lifeline of the MOR-EV rebate program, an incentive that’s critical to lowering the upfront cost of electric vehicles and helping meet our state’s climate goals,” said Gina Coplon-Newfield, director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign and a member of the Massachusetts Zero Emission Vehicle Commission. “The size of the transportation emissions problem - here in the Commonwealth and across the nation - requires bold investments, and the Massachusetts House has demonstrated that it is willing to take one important step toward meeting that challenge. We hope that the Senate will follow suit.”

“Although on its own, this amendment does not solve the immediate challenge of a September phase out of MOR-EV, it is a substantial step in the right direction,” noted Eugenia Gibbons, Policy Director at Green Energy Consumers Alliance. “Overwhelming House support for this amendment demonstrates an appreciation for a very popular consumer incentive and a responsiveness to concerns raised by constituents and advocates that a program that has been an essential driver of EV adoption in the state is at risk of being eliminated at a time when it needs to be ramped up.”

“The climate crisis demands that we take urgent action to curb transportation pollution,” said Jordan Stutt, Carbon Programs Director at Acadia Center and a member of the Massachusetts Zero Emission Vehicle Commission. “Along with a reduction in total vehicle trips, Massachusetts will depend on a rapid shift to electric vehicles to hit the Commonwealth’s climate targets; continued funding for EV rebates will make that shift possible for more Massachusetts drivers.”

“Cleaner vehicles on the road mean we all breathe easier,” said Amy Laura Cahn, Director of the Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice program at Conservation Law Foundation and a member of the Massachusetts Zero Emission Vehicle Commission. “Zero emission cars are also a critical way to reduce carbon pollution and fight the threat of climate change. We need to ensure that consumers at all income levels are able to make this transition. The House absolutely made the right call to incorporate resources for the popular MOR-EV rebate into Speaker DeLeo’s Greenworks bill, and we urge the Senate to pass legislation to do the same.”

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.