HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1502        FILED ON: 1/16/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2809

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Jennifer E. Benson

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to increase the use of zero emission vehicles in the Commonwealth.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1502        FILED ON: 1/16/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2809

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

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An Act to increase the use of zero emission vehicles in the Commonwealth.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 9A of chapter 7 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out paragraphs 5 to 8, inclusive, and inserting in place thereof the following 4 paragraphs: -

When purchasing new motor vehicles, the commonwealth shall purchase zero emission vehicles to the maximum extent feasible and consistent with the ability of such vehicles to perform their intended functions. The division of operational services shall ensure that zero emission vehicle purchases are implements according to the following schedule:  (i) by year 2020, not less than 20 percent of all vehicle purchases shall be zero emission vehicles; (ii) by year 2021, not less than 25 percent of all vehicle purchases are zero emission vehicles; (iii) by year 2022, not less than 30 percent of all vehicle purchases are zero emission vehicles; (iv) by year 2023, not less than 35 percent of all vehicle purchases are zero emission vehicles; (v) by year 2024, not less than 40 percent of all vehicle purchases are zero emission vehicles; (vi) by year 2025, not less than 45 percent of all vehicle purchases are zero emission vehicles; (vii) by year 2026, not less than 50 percent of all vehicle purchases are zero emission vehicles. For the purposes of this section, a “zero emission vehicle”, shall mean a battery electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or a fuel cell vehicle. In reaching these requirements, the secretary shall prioritize for electrification any vehicles cited as medium or high priority by the study commissioned by section 6 of chapter 448 of the acts of 2016.

The division of operational services shall forward to the department of energy resources all requests for motor vehicle acquisitions by agencies of the commonwealth. The department of energy resources shall thereafter report to the division of operational services regarding the availability of a zero emission vehicles that shall achieve the intended use designated by the requesting agency. The division of operational services, in consultation with the departments of energy resources and environmental protection, shall adopt a fuel efficiency standard for passenger vehicles owned or operated by the commonwealth.

The operational services division, in consultation with the department of energy resources, shall develop a system of protocols for the acquisition of zero emission vehicles, including identifying the potential for acquisition of heavy, medium and light-duty vehicles, based on the anticipated mileage and usage of such vehicles.

The division of operational services, jointly with the department of energy resources, and the executive office of energy and environmental affairs shall submit to the secretary of administration and finance, the clerks of the senate and house of representatives, the joint committee on state administration and regulatory oversight, the senate committee on global warming and climate change, and the house committee on global warming and climate change an annual statement on or before July 1 each year detailing the progress in meeting the requirements of this section. This report shall include a complete listing of vehicles leased, owned, or assigned to each agency.  A description of each vehicle will be provided, including the year, make, and model of each vehicle; whether the vehicle is powered by an internal combustion engine, a mild hybrid engine, a plug-in hybrid motor, a fully battery electric motor, a hydrogen fuel cell electric motor, a compressed or liquefied natural gas engine, a propane engine, or other means of propulsion; whether the vehicle is equipped with two or four wheel drive; and whether the vehicle type is a passenger vehicle, a sport utility vehicle, a light duty truck, a medium duty truck, or a heavy duty truck.  In each instance wherein a non zero emission vehicle is purchased or leased, the division will provide specific explanation as to why a zero emission vehicle could not have sufficiently fulfilled the intended functions.