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A Look at Some of the Transportation-Related Legislation Moving Forward at the General Assembly

Nearly half of Virginia’s carbon emissions come from transportation. The House of Delegates took on a number of bills hoping to reduce those emissions, and now they’re in the senate’s hands.

Of course, it's impossible to talk about transportation without talking about cars. And a couple of bills that made it through the House deal with new ones.

One bill, proposed by Delegate Lamont Bagby of Richmond, focuses on passenger cars. His bill would have Virginia adopt stricter emission standards by 2024.

Another bill looks at cars without a fuel tank. Delegate David Reid, from Loudoun County, put forward a bill to establish a $2500 rebate for new electric vehicles. Low and some middle income people would get another $2000 rebate.

Not all the bills are for people who drive cars, though. One bill creates a program for school districts to apply for help buying electric school buses.

There are also proposals to deal with some of the aftereffects of those measures, too. Delegate Rip Sullivan has one to make sure there’s enough electricity infrastructure for new electric vehicles. And Richmond’s Delegate Dolores McQuinn has a proposal to ensure the new systems benefit everyone, especially underserved and underrepresented communities.

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.