The West Virginia State Senate's Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted late last week to reinstate tax credits for electric vehicles in a bill originally proposed by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.
Tomblin, through State Senate president Jeffrey V. Kessler, was using S.B.185 to promote incentives for propane autogas and natural gas vehicles, but the legislation cut out similar incentives for EVs, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and other alt-fuel options. The governor's bill also sought to eliminate state incentives for home-based alternative fueling infrastructure installations.
With a unanimous 9-0 vote, the committee opted to restore these measures to the bill. All of the incentives will run through 2017, which was dialed back from an expiration in 2021.
The revised bill will next be considered in the Senate Finance Committee.
