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The following is a message concerning a proposed change to “anti-ICEing” legislation in Howard County Maryland that would make the prohibitions against parking a non plug-in car at a charging station enforceable on private property as well as county-owned property.

Enforcement of Designated Electric Vehicle plug-in Parking Spaces – CB7-2016

In 2014, I was proud to sponsor Council Bill 36-2014 which passed with the support of my colleague Council Chairperson Calvin Ball.  This bill ensured posted parking spaces with electric vehicle charging stations would be reserved only for plug-in vehicles.  As you know, encouraging individual residents to make choices that reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions is an important aspect of what the County can do, not only to reduce the carbon footprint of County Government operations, but also to help reduce the overall carbon footprint of our community.  We must seek to develop a robust network of charging stations throughout the County which will be essential to making electric vehicles a viable and convenient alternative.  Tantamount will be safeguarding those charging spaces for plug-in vehicles as they are critical to the growing acceptance and long-term success of electric vehicles.  

While Council Bill 36-2014 was an important step forward, varying legal interpretations of the Police Department’s authority to enforce EV parking spaces on private property became apparent.  Monday, Councilman Ball and I were pleased to introduce Council Bill 7-2016 which gives the Howard County Police Department the express authority to ticket non electric vehicles in designated EV parking spaces on both public and private property.  Council Bill 7-2016 provides another significant advancement toward a cleaner and greener future for Howard County.   

There will be an opportunity to provide public comment on this matter and other bills before the Council on February 16, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. in the Banneker Room of the George Howard Building.  If you would like to testify at the public hearing, you can sign-up in person at the hearing, or you register in advance online here. You may also submit written testimony, comments or questions to me directly at JTerrasa@HowardCountyMD.gov, and to Councilman Ball at CBBall@howardcountymd.gov.  if you would like to share your testimony with the entire Council, please email CouncilMail@HowardCountyMD.gov.

 As an advocate for electric vehicles, your input and support on this important legislation would be greatly appreciated. We look forward to hearing from you.

All the best,

Jen &  Calvin

Video of testimony before the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Feb. 2, 2016. Testimony on SB168 starts at 2:34 and runs for about an hour.

SB168 Analysis: Fiscal and Policy Note: PDF

Maryland Senate Bill 168, to facilitate EV charging in multi-unit housing communities, including those governed by a condominium or homeowners association, is scheduled for a hearing in Annapolis on February 2nd, 2016. The hearing will be before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee and starts at 1:00 PM.

SB 168 is sponsored by Sen. Brian Feldman. I have spoken with his Chief of Staff and they encourage people to come to the hearing to testify. Hopefully a few EV drivers will be there to explain to the Committee members the challenges faced when attempting to charge an EV at a condo, rental or property governed by an HOA.

If you wish to testify, you must sign in outside of the hearing room by noon on the day of the hearing. You may also submit written testimony. Be sure to follow the Guidelines for the Judicial Proceedings Committee.

You are welcome to contact me and I will help coordinate with Sen. Feldman’s office to get you signed in to testify or to make copies of your written testimony to distribute to the Committee members.

Remember that Howard County Law that was meant to punish drivers that ICEd charging stations? When I checked with the police last year, only one ticket had been written and a memo had been sent to the entire force that the law was unenforceable except on County-owned property. That certainly wasn’t our intent when we advocated for the law.

After many conversations with the Howard County Police, County Attorneys, my Council representative and state lawmakers, the law is finally going to be “fixed” so there will be a deterrent at the charging stations in the county where ICEing continues to be a problem such as at the Columbia Association’s Athletic Club parking lot.

Earlier today, a bill was prefiled that will fix the ambiguity in the Howard County Code that has prevented the police from enforcing the anti-ICEing law on private property.

The bill, CB7-2016, will be introduced at the February 1st County Council Legislative Session and voted on at the March 7th session. A public hearing is scheduled for February 16.

The new bill will add the following two sentences:
(1) THE POLICE DEPARTMENT MAY ENFORCE THIS SECTION ON PUBLIC PROPERTY OR PRIVATE PROPERTY.
(2) THE POLICE DEPARTMENT MAY IMPOUND A VEHICLE THAT IS PARKED IN VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION.

The new language has been vetted by the Howard County Office of Law, the police union and the County Police Chief. Once it is passed, the police will be able to respond to complaints of ICEing at charging spots on private property provided the spots are designated with signs that meet the criteria spelled out in the law.

Thank you to the EV drivers who wrote, called, testified and supported the previous bill. Also thanks to Council Members Jen Terrasa and Calvin Ball who sponsored this bill and Kate McLeod, Special Assistant to Ms. Terrasa, who worked on the bill and kept us in communication.

A state-wide anti-ICEing bill is being proposed for the 2016 Maryland General Assembly.

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There are several bills before the 2016 session of the Maryland General Assembly that will affect electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. Senate Bill (SB) 168 would lift restrictions at condos and HOAs and require landlords to approve a tenant’s request to install electric vehicle recharging equipment. This bill is based on California Assembly Bill (AB) 2565 which gives multi-unit housing tenants the right to install a charging station at their residence as long as the tenant pays for the costs of installation, maintenance, electricity and subsequent removal upon moving. Many potential plug-in vehicle drivers reside in apartments, condos or property governed by an HOA and this is a consequential issue for many.

SB168 was introduced by Sen. Brian Feldman of Montgomery County. He sponsored a similar bill in 2015, SB 762 which never got out of the Judicial Matters Committee.

Last year, there were letters opposing Senate Bill 762 submitted by special interest groups including the Maryland Multi-Housing Association, NAIOP – The Association for Commercial Real Estate and the Apartment and The Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater Baltimore (BOMA).

Here is a link to a comparison that highlights the differences in the text of the bill from last year. Note that the insurance requirement is $1,000,000 in the present bill, where it was $300,000 last year. UPDATE: an amendment has been filed to change the insurance requirement back to $300,000.

The 90 day legislative session in Maryland starts today. There are at least two bills expected to be introduced that will affect electric vehicle charging stations. Delegate Clarence Lam, representing parts of Baltimore and Howard counties, plans to introduce a bill to enable the towing or ticketing of nonelectric vehicles parked in electric vehicle charging spots.

Senator Brian Feldman from Montgomery County is sponsoring a bill that will make it easier for tenants and HOA members to install EV charging equipment in multi-unit housing communities.

Del. Lam and Sen. Feldman are both appointees to the Maryland Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council (EVIC). Lam is a member of the House Environment and Transportation Committee which is where the anti-ICEing bill will likely be referred to receive public testimony. This is the committee that Bob Erdman, Jeff Cadman and I testified before to support the Tesla bill last session. I plan to testify in favor of both bills and to help gather support from others.

PlugInSites will publish updates as these bills work their way through the legislative process. I have talked with both Del. Lam and Sen. Feldman and stay in touch with their staff. Enter your email address below to get updates on this and all PlugInSites news.

@PlugInSites

The New Jersey General Assembly passed a bill (A-1728)  that will require electric vehicle charging stations to be installed at rest areas along the New Jersey Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway and the Atlantic City Expressway. Under the bill, sponsored by Tim Eustace, Daniel Benson and Liz Muoio, EV charging stations are required to be installed in at least 5 percent of service area parking spaces in service areas with at least 100 spaces to which the public is invited.

“There is nothing worse than running out of gas on a dark and busy highway. It’s not only a nuisance; it is not safe,” said Eustace (D-Bergen/Passaic), who owns an electric car and knows first-hand the difficulty of finding a charging station. “The number of electric cars being driven on our roads may not match the number of gas-fueled cars, but we still have a responsibility to provide these drivers with sufficient fueling and charging stations, especially on heavily-travelled highways.”

The US Dept. of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC), shows that there are currently about 165 electric vehicle charging stations in New Jersey with around 380 individual charging ports.

“There is little point in investing in an electric car if the infrastructure is not there to support it,” said Eustace. “This bill helps residents who already own electric cars, as well as those who are considering buying one, but are worried about the accessibility of charging and refueling stations.”

According to a 2012 report by Environment New Jersey, a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization, more than 13,000 drivers in New Jersey could purchase their first plug-in vehicle within the next three years. The report stated that with the right policies in place in New Jersey, plug-in vehicles could reduce oil dependence by more than three million gallons per year.

The bill was approved 44-25-2 by the Assembly and is now headed to the Senate.