Letter: Clear air benefits with electric cars

The Columbian’s Nov. 27 online story “Inslee promotes electric cars to tackle pollution” reported that “Gov. Jay Inslee wants to extend a sales tax break for electric vehicles and explore giving them access to car pool lanes.”

If the oil industry has its way, nine oil trains per day will travel through Vancouver to terminals and refineries up north. We can reduce that number if we reduce our demand for gasoline.

One way to do that is if you need a second car, make it electric.

There are many electric models available from manufacturers such as Chevy, Ford, Honda, Nissan, Toyota and others. Some are available for a lease of $199 per month with $2,400 down.

The life-cycle cost of these cars is less than a gasoline-powered equivalent. Ideally an owner would charge the battery at night using surplus wind and hydro. By doing so, we could keep billions in our state and create jobs installing wind and solar facilities.

Ask your legislators to extend the sales tax exemption for electric cars under $60,000. We’d all benefit.

Ask your legislators to support Gov. Jay Inslee’s pollution fee for large polluters, such as the refineries in Puget Sound. The money would be used for schools, roads and disadvantaged communities.

Don Steinke

Vancouver