EVs will help Arizona. The state could make it easier to buy one
My old car has maybe a year or two left, and when it finally dies, I really want an electric car.
If I buy another gas car I’d save money in the short term, only to pay a lot more in the long term on fuel and maintenance. The $7,500 federal tax credit is a nice incentive, but it doesn’t apply to many of the electric cars in my price range. And since I rent my house, installing a charger is complicated.
Arizona doesn’t have any state tax credits for purchasing new or used EVs, or for installing a home charging station. The state has tax credits for rooftop solar, but why not electric cars?
Why haven’t our legislators fixed this? They’re more than happy to give tax credits to their wealthy donors and major corporations who aren’t improving our environment and quality of life, but the majority in the Legislature aren’t ready to provide tax credits or support to the rest of us.
There are millions of federal dollars coming into Arizona in more ways than just EV tax credits, but we need state level support and legal avenues for renters to transition to cleaner transportation.
Micah Conniff, Phoenix
Bring us more charging stations
Arizonans have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand electric vehicle charging stations across the state.
Last week, the Federal Highway Administration announced the second round of the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program (CFI).
The first round of funding awarded a combined $623 million for 47 EV charging infrastructure projects, including two in Arizona. The second round is more than double at $1.3 billion.
The three Arizona projects from the last round include $11.8 million for the City of Mesa, $500,000 for the San Carlos Apache Tribal Council and $500,000 for Cochise County.
The Cochise County project is pretty simple — they purchased six solar-powered EV chargers and installed them near major highways. Meanwhile, the City of Mesa had a much more expansive project that increased access in disadvantaged communities by 167%.
More letters:We don’t need police to enforce seat belt law
Arizona is well-positioned to win funding because we’re home to more than 7 million people and the destination for more than 40 million tourists a year.
However, cities and counties must apply as soon as possible. CFI will have two more rounds before expiring in 2026, and politicians are unlikely to recreate the program.
Elliot Popel, Benson
6-foot rule was not about science
This week, we found out there was no science behind the six-foot distancing rule enacted during COVID-19 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The same rule that shut down schools, businesses, government.
The same rule that was the catalyst for the United States government to pay hundreds of billions of dollars to these same businesses, and individuals, to help stave off the impending shut down caused by — yep, you guessed it — the six-foot rule.
The government is still paying for it and will be doing so or decades in lost revenue and skills. Students who were taught at home will never fully recover and will walk with a cognitive, academic limp forever.
And the press never asked to prove the findings. They went along. Like sheep to the slaughter and blasted those who opposed it, playing to heart strings of dead in the streets if we failed to comply.
Well done.
Mark Williams, Phoenix
Who ‘weaponizes’ justice here?
Columnist Phil Boas argues in a recent piece that the hush money conviction of Donald Trump united Republicans from all parts of the party, suggesting they see it as a ”weaponization of justice.”
They might in fact be united. And we know why: they’re terrified that Trump might turn against them, the death knell for Republican politicians.
But while they might feel justice has been “weaponized,” others feel differently.
A Morning Consult polls shows that 54% of Americans “approve of Trump’s conviction,” and 49% in an ABC poll — including 52% of independents — believe Trump should drop out of the race.
As to the “weaponization” charge, how do Boas and Republicans explain the Justice Department also charging two Democrats, Sen. Bob Menendez and Rep. Roberto Cuellar? And how do they explain the federal trial of President Biden’s son for lying on his form to purchase a gun?
Interestingly, in the year Hunter Biden purchased a gun, only three such cases in Delaware were referred by the Trump Justice Department, and Trump’s U.S. attorney chose not to prosecute any of them.
If anyone’s weaponizing justice — literally — it is Republican politicians and their media toadies who put the lives of FBI agents and Justice Department employees across the country in danger by their lies that Biden authorized the FBI to kill Trump during the search of Mar-a-Lago.
Not to mention their circuses impeaching Alejandro Mayorkas and “investigating” President Biden.
Mike McClellan, Gilbert
What’s on your mind? Send us a letter to the editor online or via email at opinions@arizonarepublic.com.
