News from State Senator

Eric Buckson

Serving the 16th Senatorial District

Town Hall with Rep. Yearick

Thank you to everyone who came out Tuesday to our town hall! Representative Yearick and I greatly appreciated the conversations had and the opportunity to discuss what the Delaware government plans to do with your tax dollars. I look forward to hosting future town halls with area representatives to connect with you and to discuss additional issues facing our state.

Joint Finance Committee Response

Joint Finance Committee is a week into its month of hearings. Last Thursday, my fellow JFC colleagues and I met with members of the press following Governor Carney's budget presentation to offer our thoughts. I was pleased to see an emphasis on savings and targeted spending on infrastructure, but I am adamant that we must focus on the needs rather than the wants. We may have the money now, but these massive surpluses are not forever. I will keep you up to date on the state's spending plans as the month of February progresses and we begin the budget markup process.

SCR 10

Last Thursday, I introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 10 (SCR 10), and it passed the Senate unanimously. It's a simple resolution, but it carries a great message. It designated January 22^nd through the 28^th as School Choice Week here in Delaware, and conveyed the message that we as a state legislature recognize the importance of all forms of education, including public, private and homeschool. As a former educator, access to quality education is necessary for the future of our state and I will make this a priority during my time in office.

The Second Floor Podcast

Last week, I sat down with our communications director, Matt Revel, on The Second Floor to discuss my first three weeks in office, my thoughts on how things operate in Legislative Hall, and what I hope to accomplish on the Joint Finance Committee.

Check us out on your favorite podcast app:



Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/eywwt2td

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/4a3kymxr

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Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/zyn5uv8r

Audible: https://tinyurl.com/46bsbuvs

iHeartRadio: https://tinyurl.com/24c94nsr

RadioPublic: https://tinyurl.com/4bue5vkt

Call to Action

Governor John Carney and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) are moving forward with adopting California’s zero-emission vehicle standards. Once the regulation is fully implemented, 35% of a new automobile dealership’s stock would have to be electric vehicles (EV) by 2025. Beginning in 2035, no new gas or diesel-powered vehicle weighing 14,000 pounds or less can be sold within the state of Delaware. In other words, DNREC, through regulations rather than legislation, will ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles in just over a decade.

The negative economic impact this mandate will have is hard to fathom. Independently-owned vehicle repair shops will likely go out of business. Electric rates will rise. There will be less fuel taxes collected into the Transportation Trust Fund, thus jeopardizing future road improvements. The cost to purchase a new vehicle will dramatically rise as EVs are priced $10,000 more than the automobile industry average. Once the 100,000 miles warranty for a battery expires, a replacement can cost upwards of $16,000.

Additionally, the infrastructure is not currently in place to accommodate this regulation, nor will it likely be in place by 2035. Convenient stores such as Wawa and Royal Farms will have to completely revamp their layout. Residents in urban areas may not have access to charging stations unless cities install them at each parking location.

This must be stopped. Please contact Governor John Carney (John.Carney@delaware.gov, 302-577-8154) and DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin (Shawn.Garvin@delaware.gov) and tell them you oppose their mandate. Be sure to also include your local legislators.

 Closure of Rehoboth Boulevard between Cedar Beach Road and NE Front Street 

Milford -- Closure of Rehoboth Boulevard between Cedar Beach Road (SR 36) and NE Front Street (SR 14)

Milford - ; The Delaware Department of Transportation announces the closure of Rehoboth Boulevard between Cedar Beach Road (SR 36) and NE Front Street (SR 14) starting on Monday, February 6th for drawbridge repairs. The repairs will address damage resulting from oversized vehicles striking the bridge in December 2021 and again in December 2022. The work is expected to be completed in early April 2023.

Detour: Motorists traveling north on Rehoboth Boulevard will be detoured east on Cedar Beach Road to SR 1 northbound. Motorists will take the next ramp exit to the north onto NE Front Street westbound, crossing over SR 1 and back to Rehoboth Boulevard. Motorists traveling south on Rehoboth Boulevard will be detoured east to the ramp for southbound SR 1. Motorists will take the next exit ramp south for Cedar Beach Road, then travel westbound back to Rehoboth Boulevard.

For 24/7 traffic information, tune to WTMC 1380 AM, visit deldot.gov or download the DelDOT app.

View full press release at: https://www.deldot.gov/About/news/index.shtml?dc=release&id=9402