Senator Arreguín Praises Progress on California Clean Miles Standard & Incentive Program
Sacramento, CA – Senator Jesse Arreguín (D-Oakland) announced today that he will be tabling Senate Bill 739 – legislation aimed at making modest adjustments to the California Clean Miles Standard (CMS) and Incentive Program. With the rolling back of federal incentives and continued EV affordability challenges, California should take another look at its ambitious vehicle electrification targets. In recognition of unanticipated barriers since the adoption of the CMS, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) proposed pausing enforcement of the CMS program. Among many things, pausing gives time for newly approved incentives like the CMS Drivers Assistance Program (also known as Rideshare Incentives for Driving Electric, or “RIDE”) to start providing funding to low- and moderate-income rideshare drivers for the purchase of electric vehicles.
Senator Arreguín looks forward to continued progress to ensure CMS targets are achievable and continues to advance California's climate and air quality goals.
“I want to thank the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Air Resources Board for their hard work and their collaboration with me to ensure the CMS program continues to clean up our air and provide the resources for rideshare drivers to make the transition,” said Senator Arreguín. “I remain committed to working with our state agencies, the Transportation Network Companies (TNC), the labor unions representing the TNC drivers, and the environmental community, who have all demonstrated a shared, long-term commitment to an enduring zero-emission future.”
The decision to pause the bill comes after the release of the Unanticipated Barriers and Progress Report by the CPUC, which proposes a three year delay of implementation of the program and details major unanticipated barriers that have emerged since the CMS was adopted. One key issue being the Trump Administration’s recent ending of tax credits for electric vehicles. With the state’s recent launch of the MyFirstEV program to provide instant rebates for first time electric vehicle buyers in conjunction with the upcoming launch of the CMS Drivers Assistance Program, funding assistance will soon be available to help drivers transition their vehicles to clean cars.
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