DEAR EDITOR:

Ohio has a unique opportunity to capitalize on a motivated workforce, growing industry and booming natural resources; however, it will take action like Senate Bill 307 to truly move the state into the future.

Part of that future will be electric vehicles. Audi plans to have 30 electrified vehicles by 2025, and 20 of those models will be EVs. Jaguar plans to be all-electric. GM announced it will invest $27 billion in EVs through 2025. The market has clearly spoken, and it is time for Ohio to open up all avenues for new innovation in the automotive industry. That is why I introduced Senate Bill 307, which promotes the adoption of electric vehicles in Ohio’s marketplace.

SB 307’s provision will create the Electric Vehicle Retooling and New Equipment Acquisition Program and the Electric Vehicle Training and Modernization Program. This will not only help Ohio’s employers and manufacturers retool and train a workforce needed to service this developing market, but also take advantage of our vast natural gas and oil industry.

This legislation would allow for growth of Ohio automotive, manufacturing and Ohio’s booming gas and oil industry. Natural gas is the largest fuel source of Ohio electricity. In fact in 2020, 43 percent of Ohio’s net generation was provided by natural gas. The increase of natural gas as a fuel source for creating electricity has allowed for Ohio to depend less on coal-burning plants, allowing for a more clean and environmentally friendly way to produce electricity.

We are far from the first to make this important change; 45 other states and the District of Columbia provide an incentive for certain EVs and / or PHEVs, either through a specific utility operating in the state or through state legislation. In Ohio, there are very few incentives offered that support EVs. I believe it is time for our state to step up and implement incentives to promote the adoption of electric vehicles.

As the market for EVs continues to develop, it is essential that Ohio remains at the forefront of the modernization of the automotive industry. There is truly no time to waste. We need to pass Senate Bill 307 now.

SEN. MICHAEL RULLI

Salem