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House panel approves statewide preemption on EV charging requirements after split testimony
Summary
House Bill 86, which would prevent local governments from requiring EV charging stations or conduit in building permits, advanced to the House floor on a 15‑2 roll‑call after testimony on costs, local planning and ‘dig once’ arguments.
House Bill 86, sponsored by Representative Joe Palmer of Meridian, would preempt local governments from requiring electrical vehicle (EV) charging stations or conduit as a condition of building permits.
Palmer told the House Business Committee the bill preserves property-owner choice and prevents local governments from mandating EV infrastructure that property owners or taxpayers might not want to pay for. “We’re not stopping anybody from being able to do it. We’re just not forcing them anymore,” he said.
Testimony split along lines of local planning and cost. Lisa Heck, a retired electrical and computer engineer and Boise resident, urged the committee to reject the bill and keep planning authority local. “I urge you to vote no on this bill to keep planning and decision making regarding EV and conduit infrastructure in the hands of local officials,” Heck said, citing savings from installing conduits during construction versus retrofitting later.
Lance Sayers of the Association of Idaho Cities and Jonathan Oppenheimer of the Idaho Conservation League both asked lawmakers to preserve local authority to plan for EV growth. Sayers said cities want flexibility to plan infrastructure as their communities grow. Oppenheimer emphasized Idaho’s electricity generation and argued that keeping dollars circulating in state is a public benefit.
Tom Daley, Ada County commissioner and vice chair of the Idaho Association of Counties legislative committee, told the committee that the City of Boise’s permitting proposals had created an example of the problem counties face: initial Boise staff asked for 133 charging sites for a jail parking lot, later reduced to 31. Daley said that requirement affected a secure, non-public parking area and that counties should not be forced to provide that infrastructure for taxpayers where it is not needed.
Supporters of the bill, including Representative Thompson and Representative Marmon among others, framed it as protecting property owners and taxpayers from mandates. Opponents framed it as a “dig once” planning issue and urged the legislature to allow local governments to plan and negotiate requirements suited to local circumstances.
Representative Harris moved that the committee send House Bill 86 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation. The committee approved the motion on a roll-call vote, 15 to 2. Members who were recorded voting “aye” in the roll call included representatives listed on the record as voting yes (Representative Crane (Dist. 12), Representative Crane (Dist. 13), Representative Palmer, Representative Barbieri, Representative Cornelis, Representative Ehlers, Representative Monks, Representative Cannon, Representative Harris, Representative Marmon, Representative Raiser, Representative Thompson, Representative Wheeler and Chairman Clow). The transcript records the final tally as 15‑2 but does not name the two “no” votes.
The bill will advance to the full House for further consideration.
