Connecticut
To EV Or Not To EV: Is There An Electric Vehicle Backlash In CT?
CONNECTICUT — Has the EV backlash hit Connecticut?
American motorists are not quite as revved up about a combustion-engine-free future as they once were, the Wall Street Journal notes. Recalls of the Ford F-150 Lightning truck have seen the auto icon shift production into neutral, and rental car leviathan Hertz announced in January it had decided to sell a third of its United States electric fleet and reinvest in gas-powered cars.
In December, Gov. Ned Lamont withdrew regulations that would have required all new vehicles sold in Connecticut to be emissions-free by 2035, once it became clear the initiative lacked sufficient support within the Regulation Review Committee, according to a Hartford Business Journal report.
EV enthusiasts in the state capital are still optimistic, but deep concerns remain over the affordability of electric vehicles, the capacity of the state’s electric grid and the availability of chargers.
In January, Republican lawmakers proposed their own EV migration plan, which was modelled on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s less restrictive guidelines.
This week, state lawmakers held a public hearing on House Bill 5485, which would establish the 40-member Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Coordinating Council. That group would be tasked with the assessment of both the state’s electric grid, charging infrastructure and auto industry. The proposed legislation would also revise existing state-sponsored EV rebates to allocate more funds towards low to moderate income households, and incentivize the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, particularly in rural areas.
The Public Hearing Wednesday was only the opening fireworks, as the Hartford-watchers expect the bill to be hotly and roundly debated through the remainder of the short 2023-24 legislative session.
In its prepared testimony submitted to the Transportation Committee prior to the Public Hearing Wednesday, The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut told lawmakers “the largest source of carbon emissions is from the transportation sector, but momentum in decarbonizing this sector has slowed considerably.” The environmental advocacy group urged legislators to make a “clean transportation sector” a priority.
Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding painted the proposed legislation as a Trojan Horse.
“This is an EV mandate,” he said in a news conference before the public hearing. “The only difference is, they want to wait until November, after the election, to tell you they are going to do this.”
In a joint statement, Harding and House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora said the legislative council created by the bill would only be “a public relations tool designed to shoehorn our state into California’s radical emissions standards. It isn’t a catalyst to develop solutions to citizens’ common sense concerns about cost, charging infrastructure and freedom of choice.”
State Sen. Roland Lemar, the Democratic chair of the Transportation Committee told WFSB the Republican leadership was “fearmongering and attempting to manipulate public opinion on this issue.”
What’s the opinion of the Patch Public? Is Connecticut moving too quickly to embrace electric vehicles, or are we dragging our feet? Do the benefits of cleaner air outweigh the costs? Enough for a state mandate?
Let us know your thoughts in the survey below, and Patch will publish the results in a week or so.
Connecticut
Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027
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Florida high school state bronze medalist Dajah German has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2027. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey, my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me to be my best throughout the years. And a very special thank you to Coach Chris and Coach Nicole for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m so excited for what’s ahead. GO HUSKIES!
A rising senior at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida, German trains year-round with Swim Fort Lauderdale and primarily specializes in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.
German has improved each year of her high school career, most recently dropping from 23.78, 51.39, and 1:50.56 in the 50/100/200 free to 23.54, 51.35, and 1:49.69 during the 2025-26 short course season.
German’s top meet of the season was the Florida Senior Championships in March, where she recorded her current PBs in both the 50 and 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free (4:55.94) and 1650 free (17:02.78), third in both the 50 free and 200 free, and fifth in the 100 free (51.43). She set her current 100 free PB at a smaller holiday meet in December. In the 500 free, she clocked a season-best 4:55.21 at the Speedo Cup in January, with her lifetime best of 4:53.19 coming at the 2025 Florida Senior Championships.
German has qualified for the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Championships for the past three years, with her top performance coming at the 2025 iteration in November. She placed third in the 50 free (23.96), fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12), and helped Fort Lauderdale to fourth place in both the 200 free relay (24.64 leadoff) and 400 free relay (53.08 anchor).
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 23.54
- 100 Freestyle: 51.35
- 200 Freestyle: 1:49.69
- 500 Freestyle: 4:53.19
A Division I Mid-Major program, Connecticut competes in the Big East, with the women’s team placing second out of seven teams at this past season’s conference championships. German’s current lifetime bests would have placed third in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free, eighth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free, setting her up as an immediate contributor with two full seasons of training still ahead before her first conference meet.
German joins Anna Mumford, Lyla Devlin, Lena Brown, and Louisa Holda in committing to the Huskies’ class of 2031 so far.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 80. Light west wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: A chance of showers before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Monday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 59. Southeast wind around 8 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
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