On May 5, the chairman of the powerful House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) visited ATD member dealership TEC Equipment in Coburg, Ore.

“We were excited to host Congressman DeFazio as Oregon learns how battery electric vehicles can shape local and regional transportation needs,” said David A. Thompson, TEC Equipment CEO and president. “TEC has been driven by entrepreneurship and innovation for more than 46 years, and we remain committed to being a leader in this space alongside Volvo Trucks North America.”

During his visit, Chairman DeFazio test-drove a Volvo electric truck and discussed his clean energy priorities as Congress considers comprehensive infrastructure legislation. Chairman DeFazio and David Thompson were joined by Greg Remensperger, Executive Vice President, Oregon Auto Dealers Association; Alan Zelenka, Assistant Director for Planning and Innovation, Oregon Department of Energy; Jeff Allen, Executive Director of Forth Mobility, a nonprofit organization advancing electric, shared, and smart transportation; and Jonathan Miller, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, Volvo Group North America.

In remarks to the crowd, Chairman DeFazio addressed the current 12% federal excise tax (FET) on heavy-duty trucks and his desire to replace the revenue and encourage fleet turnover with a focus on electric trucks. As part of infrastructure legislation, ATD supports repeal of the FET on all new heavy-duty trucks to enable the faster replacement of older trucks with newer and greener trucks, which would help modernize America’s truck fleet.

This is a prime opportunity for Congress to repeal and replace the FET with a more consistent revenue source. ATD looks forward to working with Chairman DeFazio and the Committee on infrastructure legislation and FET repeal efforts to deploy newer, cleaner trucks more quickly on the roads.