Senator Introduces Bill to ‘Make Ohio a Leader in EVs’; State Set to Receive $140 Million for EV Infrastructure
Recently, Sen. Michael Rulli (R-Salem) introduced SB 307. The legislation seeks to incentivize automakers to further invest in the development of electric vehicles in the state of Ohio. Specifically, the bill would provide $15 million to automakers to help them transition into electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing. Additionally, the bill would authorize up to $10 million in education grants to upscale the industry’s workforce. Lastly, the bill makes a series of regulatory changes relating to the ability of utilities to create and recover cost for establishing EV infrastructure.
In related news, because of the passage of the federal infrastructure bill, Ohio is set to receive $140 million for EV infrastructure. The money will be made available over five years. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) will oversee the grant process. We expect additional details to be released in the coming weeks. Our OECA team will be sure to share relevant updates.
Ohio Set to Launch Study Committee to Review Alternatives to Gas Tax
In April, ODOT began an 18-month effort to study new alternative revenue mechanisms for the state gas tax and infrastructure improvement projects, including a potential new mileage-based user fee. OECA was recently invited by the DeWine administration to participate in a study committee for this purpose. According to ODOT, the study committee’s primary focus is to gather the opinions of stakeholders on the topic of transportation funding. They will discuss running a public education campaign to further educate Ohioans on the need for sustainable transportation funding and explore making recommendations for the creation of new revenue mechanisms. Our OECA team understands this is a crucial issue for you and our members. We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.
Biden Signs Federal Synthetic Nicotine Legislation
Through our national partners, we wanted to make sure you were aware that new Federal legislation signed into law by President Biden on March 15, 2021, has given FDA regulatory authority over synthetic nicotine products, effectively closing the so-called “synthetic nicotine loophole.” The law became effective on April 15, 2022, and manufacturers will have until May 14, 2022, to either submit a premarket tobacco application (PMTA) or stop marketing their products. Manufacturers that submit a PMTA by the deadline can continue marketing their products until July 13, 2022, after which time the products must be removed from retail unless the FDA has issued a marketing granted order. To avoid liability, retailers and distributors should act now to understand whether their manufacturers plan to submit a PMTA, and to be prepared to remove from their shelves any synthetic nicotine products that have not been the subject of a PMTA submitted by the May 14, 2022, deadline.
For questions about any of the above topics, please contact Alex Boehnke, OECA executive director, by emailing AlexB@ohioretailmerchants.com or calling 614.947.8646.