Hey, Kaine and VA Congress!
Mar. 18th, 2008 11:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
acroyearA "grandfathered handout" is not the same thing as "an incentive to purchase and use energy efficient vehicles".
Kaine signed into law the extension of the exemption that allows hybrid and energy-efficient vehicles to use the HOVs during rush hour without penalty. Good and well, right?
Well, no.
Because there's a special clause in that which defeats the point. You not only have to have one of those "energy efficient" special license plates, but that plate has to have been issued before January of 2006!
This means that those who have the plates (and cars) and don't want to lose their special perk get to keep it, but it totally destroys the entire idea of actually buying a car like that for that perk because new sales (and in fact, the last 2 years of sales) won't get it.
In short, if you were already special, you get to stay special, and nobody else can join into your specialness. Isn't that special.
No, not really. It's stupid.
Kaine signed into law the extension of the exemption that allows hybrid and energy-efficient vehicles to use the HOVs during rush hour without penalty. Good and well, right?
Well, no.
Because there's a special clause in that which defeats the point. You not only have to have one of those "energy efficient" special license plates, but that plate has to have been issued before January of 2006!
This means that those who have the plates (and cars) and don't want to lose their special perk get to keep it, but it totally destroys the entire idea of actually buying a car like that for that perk because new sales (and in fact, the last 2 years of sales) won't get it.
In short, if you were already special, you get to stay special, and nobody else can join into your specialness. Isn't that special.
No, not really. It's stupid.
