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Lieutenant governor tells House Transportation electric heavy‑truck mandate will not work, urges postponement
Summary
Lieutenant Governor John Rogers told the committee that current mandates for electric heavy trucks are impractical for many businesses, citing range and payload limits and urging delay or repeal of the rulemaking.
Lieutenant Governor John Rogers told the House Transportation Committee on April 30 that mandates or aggressive timelines for electric heavy trucks will not work in many Vermont operations and should be postponed or repealed.
Rogers argued that electric heavy trucks are not ready to carry typical commercial loads and that batteries do not hold up under sustained heavy-duty use. "Electric trucks, do not work. And it's fine to drive a couple people around on a battery, but when you put 60,000 pounds of gravel or, 10,000 gallons of milk on a truck and you have to drive it all day, there is no way they'll work," he said.
He cited anecdotal reports from truck dealers and businesses and an example of a municipal electric garbage truck that remains parked much of the time because it cannot meet operational needs. Rogers said the trucks cost about twice as much as diesel alternatives and that businesses will not purchase them if they cannot run their operations. Committee members noted the distinction between legislative mandates and agency rulemaking; one member said the clean trucks rule is set through agency rulemaking at the Agency of Natural Resources and the administration could adjust timing.
Ending: The committee did not take action on the heavy‑duty electric truck matter. Members suggested the administration and relevant agencies could consider flexibility or delay while the legislature monitors rulemaking.
