cross-posted @ GreenKY:
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the seemingly bipartisan efforts by state legislators to push for electric cars in Kentucky. Most of the coverage by the H-L, C-J and other blogs focused on the back and forth between state party leaders over who had the idea for electric cars first. In alot of ways, the consensus was that state legislators Dan Seum and Gary Tapp (both Republicans) were ahead of the curve, having already pre-filed legislation for next year that would allow electric cars on Kentucky highways. Simultaneously, Seum and Tapp have been lobbying Governor Beshear to pass an executive order that would essentially eliminate the need for their bill. Beshear expressed his interest in including electric cars in his oh-so-brilliant energy plan. But for the most part, people (including myself) just seemed to be content that both sides could agree on something, even if they were arguing over who had the idea first.
h/t to commenter Concerned Citizen, for pointing out that there has been an unreported story in all of this. That story being the blatant (but commonplace) partisanship on the part of Kentucky Republicans, especially state senator Gary Tapp. Tapp and Seum's bill isn't the first of its kind - in fact, Democratic state representatives Robin Webb and Richard Henderson filed a nearly identical bill in the 2008 general assembly. House Bill 349 would have changed the definition of a 'motor vehicle' to include low-speed electric cars, so as to allow them on Kentucky roads with a speed limit of 35mph or less. HB 349 was well-received this year, passing the House unanimously, 95-0. It was sent on to the Senate transportation committee, where it was tabled and never acted upon. Not surprisingly, Tapp is a member of the Senate transportation committee. So if Tapp cares that much about electric cars, why didn't he support Webb and Henderson's bipartisanly-supported bill in his Senate committee?
All of the merits of ZAP cars (or electric cars in general) aside, it appears that electric cars and the potential to do something good for the environment has again become an example of Kentucky's overt partisanship and general indifference towards doing anything worthwhile.
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