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House Ag Committe hearing on electric vehicles is underway
The House Agriculture Committee is looking into the implications of electric vehicles on agriculture and Rural America.
Chairman David Scott says he wants to make sure rural communities aren’t left behind as the administration increases electric vehicle investment and adoption to help decarbonize transportation.
“I want to make sure that we can ensure the needs also of farming and agriculture,” he says. “These are our vital producers of food, fiber, and so many other areas that we’re working on. We need to know what impact this will have on the movement we have made to biofuels.”
Ranking member Glenn “GT” Thompson says he wants to know who will finance the investments in electric generation and transmission capacity.
“Who will make the investments so that we don’t wind up with brownouts and blackouts with a significant increase in demand when charging,” he says. “New retail distribution points and all the associated equipment—who’s going to finance that.”
Hearing witnesses include David Strickland, vice president of Global Regulatory Affairs with General Motors; Lincoln Wood, electrification policy manager with Southern Company; Matthew Laughridge, president and managing partner with Terry Reid Automotive Group on behalf of the National Automobile Dealers Association; Trevor Walter, vice president of Petroleum Supply Management, Sheetz, Inc. on behalf of National Association of Convenience Stores; Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association; Josh Nassar, legislative director with International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America; and Mark Mills, senior fellow with Manhattan Institute.
