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Podcast: Cascade CounterPoint
Episode: QP: Don't own an EV? Too bad. Oregon says you'll pay for the infrastructure anyway.
Description: Full Text: With the start of a new year, power customers will see a new charge on their electricity bills.
The Oregon legislature passed HB 2165 at the end of the 2021 session, which requires utilities to collect a monthly charge beginning January 1 for transportation electrification infrastructure. Of the funds collected, at least half must be spent on “underserved communities.”
Everyone will pay to support the 1% who can afford to register an electric vehicle (EV) in Oregon. And while some funds will be spent on underserved communities, the reality is that most EV owners are wealthy Portlanders.
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