House Bill 1481 is the vehicle, if you will, to give a sales tax break on the sale of electric vehicles, batteries and installation of infrastructure such as charging outlets.

It also tells the state to start installing charging stations for electric cars at state agency fleet garages and at rest areas and accomplish that by Dec. 31, 2015. It would set a goal of 40 percent electric or biofuel vehicles in fleets for state agencies and local governments by mid-2013.

Lastly, the bill tells the Puget Sound Regional Council, which encompasses Pierce, King, Snohomish and Kitsap counties to study how to set up network for plug-in outlets all over the region and bring its recommendations back to the Legislature.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Deb Eddy, D-Kirkland, passed on a 71-23 vote. (I wonder what ever happened to that other "Electric Eddy" bill to make schools turn out the lights when Elvis leaves the building.)

This bill may turn out to be the most dramatic environmental measure of the session in its own right, and also considering how other "green" proposals are faltering so far.

Here is Eddy's take on things:

House passes Eddy’s legislation to encourage use of electric cars

Promoting electric cars will support state’s environmental and economic health

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For immediate release – March 9, 2009
Olympia – One day after Governor Chris Gregoire announced plans to partner with California’s and Oregon’s governors to create a “green freeway” along I-5 from Canada to Mexico, State Rep. Deb Eddy (D-Kirkland) passed legislation out of the House to encourage more people to purchase and drive electric cars.
“A difficult challenge for both federal and state government is how to reduce our use of fossil fuels,” says Eddy. “ It’s not only critical for our environmental health but also for our economy. We must reduce our reliance on foreign-sourced fuels and increase our use of U.S.-based renewables.”
In Washington, almost half of our greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation. Within the transportation sector, more than half of the emissions come from on-road gasoline.
Eddy introduced HB 1481 to encourage faster deployment of electric vehicles in Washington. The bill provides exemptions for building infrastructure that supports these vehicles, including the batteries, set targets for the state to increase electric vehicles in the fleet, and directs the Puget Sound Regional Council and Washington State Department of Transportation’s public-private partnership office to seek federal funds to assist in attracting and supporting these green cars.
“A limited number of fully electric cars will come off the assembly line in the next few years,” says Eddy.”We need to send a strong signal that we want those cars here. If we are complacent or play “hard-to-get”, those cars will go elsewhere.”
Eddy believes a good regulatory environment is key to attracting the new technology, and House Bill 1481 is a necessary step towards building the kind of infrastructure that makes possible the early deployment of electric vehicles.

“We must make it easy for this transportation technology to grow,” says Eddy. “Both to reduce our carbon footprint and to reduce our reliance on foreign oil.”

The House passed the bill 71-23. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.