I just had a phone call with Tesla Motors. I did not take notes on the call so this may not be exact, but I hope close enough to give you an idea of what is at stake.
TIMING
Why does this have to be Monday, and why are we just finding out about it now?
The dealer lobbyists just proposed the bill in late January (the first reading was Jan 20), and it took a while for Tesla to become aware of it. Early last week, Tesla came to Olympia and talked to several of the legislators involved. While they heard several agree the anti-Tesla portion was protectionist legislation and should be stricken from the bill, they also heard some say they were supportive of dealer jobs in the state. Late last week Tesla, a dealer lobbyist, and a committee chairman met to discuss the bill; when asked, the dealer lobbyist made it clear that the anti-Tesla section was
key and that they would not support the bill if it was removed. After the meeting, the dealers hired two additional lobbyists.
This year, the legislative session is short. For any new non-appropriations bill to have a chance of passing both sides this year, it has to pass one side by Tuesday. So while there are no votes scheduled
yet, it is extremely likely that somebody is going to press for a vote on this issue on Monday or Tuesday. That is why it is so important for us to act on Monday.
URGENCY
Is this really something we have to worry about? First, consider what happens if it passes as-is:
- Tesla can’t ever open any more sales or service centers in WA – they can’t support Vancouver, Spokane, Bellingham, Ellensburg...
- No other small new auto manufacturer can come to WA and sell direct to consumers; they will have to use dealers
- Existing auto manufacturers that introduce new EVs can’t ask for volunteer dealers to install equipment (EVSEs, tools, diagnostics) to service the EVs unless they make EVERY dealer in the state buy the same equipment
Basically, this seems to be trying to keep any new EVs from coming to WA. Yeah, I’m worried about that.
Second, look at how hard the dealers are fighting to get this done. They dropped a bill with hard-to-understand provisions to block new EVs in the state less than a month before deadline. They hired two new lobbyists last week after being questioned about section 1; they certainly aren’t planning on having them just sit around on Monday and Tuesday. When asked to compromise (the bill contains several other items they want), they said will not support their OWN BILL unless the anti-Tesla provision stays. They are working hard to make this happen, and they have some support in the legislature because of “dealer jobs”. (An argument I’ve never fully gotten my head around – Tesla hires people in their stores and service centers too!)
Last week a couple of legislators have said they were sure the anti-Tesla provision would be removed before the bill moved out of committee; but Tesla claims it did move out of committee on both sides and both bills are currently on the floor complete with the anti-Tesla provision.
OLYMPIA LOGISTICS
OK, we want to help. What can we do?
The best thing you can do, by far, is show up in Olympia on Monday morning – not many people are willing to do that, so legislators really pay attention when their constituents do so. Tesla reserved part of the North Diagonal parking lot (I didn’t know you could do that! Tesla included a link below) and paid for parking, so owners will have free parking near the Capitol building. If the weather is good, there might be people out by the cars. If the weather is bad, head inside the Capitol building, up the steps and under the huge chandelier in the center of the building. Tesla employees will have one-page sheets giving you more information about the bill. Then...go visit your legislators! To find out who they are, see
http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/. There is a decent chance they won’t have an open appointment for you; that’s OK, ask to talk to their Legislative Assistant. The assistant will tally your opinion and pass on any information you leave.
CAN’T MAKE IT TO OLYMPIA?
If you can’t make it on Monday, then let your legislator know your opinion online instead. Below are Jeff Finn’s helpful instructions:
- Click on both of these bill number links. This will cause your browser to open the bills' respective official information web pages.
- Once on the respective bill's official page, click on the Comment on this bill link to the right of the bill number near the top of the page.
- Complete the online form including verifying your district and clicking the Oppose button.
- Click the Submit Form button when the form is complete. Your message will be delivered directly to your specific Legislative District's elected representatives. It is my understanding that your opposition will also be tallied and made available to all Legislators. (You can save some time by copying your message's text from the 1st bill's form so you can paste it into the 2nd)