Merkley wants to phase out all gas vehicles

Electric vehicles being recharged at Electric Avenue near the downtown Portland PGE headquarters.

 Portland Tribune file photo

Recently Gov. Tina Kotek decided to pull the plug on ODOT’s highway tolling scheme. She correctly understood that the ODOT plan was going to be all pain with no gain for voters.

The Governor should now turn her attention to DEQ’s auto emissions standards, which require 35% of all new cars and light trucks sold in Oregon to be either battery electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles by 2026.

John A. Charles, Jr. is President and CEO of Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free market public policy research organization.