Following the announcement that Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) is suspending AB 1745, his proposed ban on internal combustion engines, Ryan Hanretty, Executive Director of the California Independent Oil Marketers Association (CIOMA) issued the following statement:
“It is encouraging to hear of Assemblymember Ting’s decision to suspend his crusade against CIOMA’s small, family- and minority-owned businesses, as well as the hard-working, middle-class families of California.
“CIOMA was the first to warn how devastating this policy would be in California, and has since worked to inform Californians and the Legislature about the real-world impacts of a misguided bill like this.
“Last week, on the heels of CIOMA’s Day at the Capitol, and in just five days, our members flooded the Capitol with over 400 letters, each explaining how idealist bills like this serve only the agendas of politicians and their wealthy political allies.
“While we are happy to no longer face this immediate threat, we are disturbed by Assemblymember Ting’s enthusiastic commitment to sacrifice middle-class families for the benefit of the rich. AB 1745 comes after earlier attempts made by Asm. Ting to secure $3 billion in Electric Vehicle subsidies through 2017’s AB 1184. While being advertised as a means of providing EV access to the most deserving, over 80% of all EV subsidies go to those earning over $100,000 a year.
“This is bad policy. Bills like these offer nothing more than sound-bites and self-fulfillment to out-of-touch politicians, while posing a very real and frightening threat to nearly every Californian family.”
CIOMA is the industry’s statewide trade association representing the needs of independent wholesale and retail marketers of gasoline, diesel, lubricating oils and other petroleum products; transporters of those products; and retail convenience store operators. CIOMA’s members serve California’s families, agriculture, police and fire, cities, construction, and delivery industries to name a few.
