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November 29, 2022 In In The News

Decline in Volunteer Firefighters Impacts Communities Nationwide

From: Impacting Our Future For years the dramatic decline in the number of volunteer firefighters, particularly young ones, has been threatening the ability of small departments to provide an essential public service.

Most people may not think this potential crisis impacts them, however almost 70 percent of firefighters across the nation are volunteers. It’s not just about fighting fires since most calls are for emergency medical services.

Several years ago the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reported a majority of volunteer firefighters in the United States are over the age of 50. And while the number of on-call firefighters is decreasing, the demand for fire and rescue services is increasing — especially for EMS.

Some volunteer fire service statistics

As of February 2020, NFPA says there are an estimated 29,705 U.S. fire departments and 19,112 of them are all volunteer.

National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and NFPA report there are approximately 1,115,000 firefighters across the country and 745,000 (or 67 percent) are volunteers.

NVFC and NFPA also state the time donated by volunteer firefighters saves communities across the country an estimated $46.9 billion per year.

Recruitment obstacles

Back in 1980, a firefighter needed only 36 hours of training. Today that number has grown to hundreds of hours to obtain firefighter certification depending on the state. Earning the certification can take up to a year for someone working a regular job and taking the training in the evenings.

Because fire departments have expanded the scope of their duties to include answering emergency medical calls, many firefighters also are emergency medical technicians, which requires another 100 to 250+ hours of training.

Plus, the estimated cost to train and equip a firefighter can exceed $20,000 so it is a major investment for both volunteer firefighters as well as for communities.

But without volunteers, the fire departments can’t offer the fire and rescue protection to residents they are commissioned to offer. Aside from the safety repercussions, insurance service office ratings can cause home insurance rates for homeowners to go up several hundred dollars a year in communities without a fire department or volunteer fire department.

Get involved

Something the COVID-19 outbreak, and recent riots have demonstrated to the public is during an emergency or disaster there may be a delay before public safety officials can arrive on scene so people should learn some basic preparedness, medical and response skills.

Some programs and resources for civilians, civic clubs, businesses, faith-based organizations and others include:

Fire Corps — A national initiative to recruit community members into local fire and EMS departments to perform non-emergency roles allowing department members to focus on training and emergency response while at the same time increasing the services and programs the department can offer. Fire Corps is a component of the Department of Homeland Security’s Citizen Corps initiative and is administered on a national level by the NVFC. For more information, visit www.firecorps.org.
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) — Educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CERT offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during disaster situations, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks. Learn more at www.ready.gov/cert
Fire is Everyone’s Fight® — A national initiative of the U.S. Fire Administration to reduce home fire injuries, deaths and property loss by changing how people think about fire and fire prevention. Learn how to help your fire department increase community awareness about preventing home fires at www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/outreach/fief/
USFRA Family Preparedness ebook — Tips on what people should think about and do before, during and after several types of emergencies and disasters, as well as how to administer basic first aid. Download a free 62-page ebook at www.fedhealth.net/usfra.html
And finally, any local departments needing help recruiting and retaining personnel, the NVFC’s Make Me A Firefighter™ program has resources, tools, and customizable outreach materials for agencies at www.MakeMeAFirefighter.org.

Find more resources for agencies and the public at www.usfra.org and www.myusfra.org

November 21, 2022 In In The News

Effectiveness over Urgency is Key to Improving Student Performance in Wilmington

From: Caesar Rodney Institute

Wilmington’s Poor Test Scores (before & after COVID-19)

The 2022 statewide K-12 test scores on the Smarter Balanced Assessment given by Delaware’s Department of Education are not encouraging. Only 30% of Delaware students in 3^rd to 8^th grade met grade-level math requirements, while just 42% were proficient in English Language Arts.

The test scores pre-COVID-19 are worse for the eight city schools in the Christina, Red Clay, and Brandywine school districts that are slated to be included in the proposed Wilmington Learning Collaborative– see Graph 1 below. In 2019 less than 1/4 of students in Wilmington were proficient in math, while less than 1/3 of students were proficient in English Language Arts (ELA). These scores were before COVID-19, school closures, and remote learning.

Graph 1: Pre-COVID-19

(Graph 1 Source: https://data.delaware.gov/Education/Student-Assessment-Performance/ms6b-mt82)

The test scores post-COVID-19 following the remote learning and learning loss caused by school closures were even worse- see Graph 2 below. In 2022, 1 in 10 students were proficient in math, and less than 2 in 10 students were proficient in ELA. We are dealing with some terribly performing schools.

Graph 2: Post-COVID-19

(Graph 2 Source: https://data.delaware.gov/Education/Student-Assessment-Performance/ms6b-mt82. Note: Red Clay- Shortlidge, no scores (K-2^nd); Christina- Stubbs Early Ed., no scores.) Governor Carney’s Answer to Wilmington, Delaware’s Poor Test Scores: ‘Wilmington Learning Collaborative’

The proposed Wilmington Learning Collaborative (WLC) is the latest attempt in the state of Delaware to decrease the learning gap between city students and those in the suburbs of New Castle County, DE. There were several early editions of the WLC Agreement that proposed ideas that have been found in research to be effective in improving education. These included:

Having greater community involvement in the academic and extracurricular activities of the schools.

Allowing principals and teachers more flexibility to tailor the education assets they provide to the specific needs of the students.

However, as the negotiations have continued between the state and the three districts involved (Red Clay, Brandywine, and Christina), several other groups, including the Delaware State Education Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, have added their ideas to the Agreement.

The Agreement has gotten more extensive and complicated with additional layers of bureaucracy, therefore, losing the beneficial academic flexibility that once characterized it.

Several WLC Board Members from the three school districts had some valid concerns with the proposed WLC. These include:

Who will be held accountable and liable for actions carried out by the WLC?

What is being done for the city kids currently attending schools outside of the city (particularly in the Brandywine School District)?

Many of the ideas of the WLC are already being implemented by the school districts (expressed by Darrell Green, Superintendent of Red Clay School District).

At the Caesar Rodney Institute, we think catering to the interests of the various groups that have now been added to the new WLC Agreement will not lead to the needed change for students in Wilmington who have been suffering for decades.

CRI’s Plea to Governor Carney for a Successful Student Outcome: Create a new experimental school entity We believe that taking a different direction is required for a successful outcome.

Governor Carney has already had, by his own count, more than 200 meetings with ‘stakeholders’ like school board members, superintendents, their staff, Wilmington city officials, and other interested parties who have contributed their ideas to the increasingly unwieldy WLC Agreement.

The Governor, however, has another option: go to the Legislature to create a new experimental school entity. The Caesar Rodney Institute (CRI) proposes:

Drafting legislation that creates a new experimental school entity. This new school entity would comply with the Delaware Code as it relates to public schools and be accountable to the citizens of the state. It would have a seven-member board or council, each member of which would be elected by Wilmington voters – not appointed by the Governor or at the behest of certain interest groups.

The person responsible for managing the eight schools would be a “Director” appointed by the elected seven-member board or council.

Each school should continue to have a “Principal” directly reporting to the Director. The important issues such as state funding, insurance, budgets, and administrative support will be spelled out in the draft Legislation. The Delaware Department of Education has the facts to supply these numbers.

Conclusion: Effectiveness over Urgency

The statement repeatedly heard at the joint meeting of the three school districts, the Governor, and the Department of Education that “we have to do something” and “we cannot wait” are recipes for disaster. Doing “something” is not a good idea when the “something” will only exacerbate the ongoing problems that students in Wilmington have faced for decades.

Going through the Legislature to create a separate set of schools with more autonomy is a better solution than creating a half-hearted “collaborative” where no one knows who is responsible or liable for what.

The initial goal of more local governance is undermined by extra levels of bureaucracy, including a 12-person council which will be ineffective in its decision-making.

The next legislative session is less than three months away-plenty of time for drafting the law to create this streamlined experimental school entity.

November 21, 2022 In In The News

Students in Delaware Are Falling Behind on Reading Tests

From: The Center Square

Over two years have passed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its effects continue to extend far beyond public health. A recent report released by the National Assessment of Educational Progress reveals a staggering decline in math and reading skills among the nation’s fourth and eighth grade students.

Specifically, the share of fourth-graders and the share of eighth-graders who are considered proficient in reading each fell by 3 percentage points since 2019, the last time the standardized test was administered. While there is no single explanation for the trend, experts attribute the historic decline primarily to the disruptions stemming from the pandemic.

Based on the latest NAEP test results, also known as the nation’s report card, only 33% of fourth-graders and 31% of eighth-graders are proficient in reading. In some states, reading proficiency rates are even lower.

In Delaware, just 25% of fourth-grade students and 24% of eighth-graders are proficient in reading. The average proficiency rate among the two grades of 24.5% is below the national average of 32% and fourth lowest among states.

In 2021, the federal government invested $123 billion in public education to help students catch up in the wake of the pandemic. The latest test results reveal it may take billions more. While the link between per pupil spending and student outcomes is complicated, many states with lower-than-average test scores also spend less on education than most – Delaware, however, is an exception. According to the latest data from the Department of Education, Delaware public schools spend an average of $15,910 per pupil annually, the 11th highest among states.

State	Avg. reading proficiency rate (%)	4th graders proficient in reading (%)	8th graders proficient in reading (%)	Annual per pupil spending ($)
New Mexico	19.5	21	18	10,167
West Virginia	22	22	22	11,944
Oklahoma	22.5	24	21	9,144
Delaware	24.5	25	24	15,910
Alabama	25	28	22	10,076
Alaska	25	24	26	18,393
Mississippi	26.5	31	22	9,303
Texas	26.5	30	23	9,697
Louisiana	27.5	28	27	11,800
Nevada	28	27	29	9,159
Arkansas	28	30	26	10,084
Michigan	28	28	28	11,211
Oregon	28	28	28	11,778
Kansas	28.5	31	26	11,387
North Carolina	29	32	26	9,747
Tennessee	29	30	28	9,870
Missouri	29	30	28	11,243
North Dakota	29	31	27	13,453
Maine	29	29	29	14,720
Arizona	29.5	31	28	8,648
South Carolina	29.5	32	27	11,359
Kentucky	30	31	29	11,291
California	30.5	31	30	13,679
Iowa	31	33	29	11,271
Minnesota	31	32	30	12,648
New York	31	30	32	23,429
South Dakota	31.5	32	31	10,139
Georgia	31.5	32	31	11,131
Montana	31.5	34	29	11,834
Nebraska	31.5	34	29	12,306
Virginia	31.5	32	31	12,640
Idaho	32	32	32	7,895
Indiana	32	33	31	10,137
Maryland	32	31	33	15,148
Wisconsin	32.5	33	32	12,575
Pennsylvania	32.5	34	31	15,252
Illinois	32.5	33	32	15,835
Rhode Island	32.5	34	31	16,983
Washington	33	34	32	14,031
Hawaii	33	35	31	16,132
Florida	34	39	29	9,645
Ohio	34	35	33	12,372
Wyoming	34	38	30	16,304
Vermont	34	34	34	16,359
New Hampshire	35	37	33	17,452
Connecticut	35	35	35	20,271
Colorado	36	38	34	10,900
Utah	36.5	37	36	7,888
New Jersey	40	38	42	19,852
Massachusetts	41.5	43	40	17,787

November 21, 2022 In In The News

WHAT STATES PASSED SCHOOL CHOICE POLICIES IN 2022?

From: State Policy Network

More than two years ago, the pandemic disrupted every industry in the country—but none quite like education. Millions of students were sent home for virtual learning, and parents became more involved in the education of their children.

After months of school closures, virtual classes, and learning loss, parents were eager for alternative education options for their children. Parents demanded change—and states across the country delivered. In 2021, often dubbed “the year of school choice,” dozens of states passed policies that improve education options for American families.

States are continuing that momentum in 2022. During this year’s legislative sessions, several states adopted policies that empower parents to make the best education choices for their children. From increasing academic transparency, to expanding charter schools, to protecting learning pods, states across the country are adopting policies that put parents and students first.

A Network of state think tanks played an important role in shaping and promoting these policies so all American children—regardless of where they live or how much money their family makes—can receive a good education that sets them up for success.

Promoting academic transparency

As parents became more involved in their child’s education, some grew dissatisfied with their school’s curriculum. In some cases, the curriculum wasn’t easily accessible for parents—leaving them in the dark about what their kids were learning. To give parents insight and access to teaching materials, several states adopted transparency laws—which let parents know what’s being taught in public schools.

ARIZONA: The Arizona Senate passed academic transparency reform. Backed by theGoldwater Institute, the bill establishes parents’ right to know what is being taught in public schools by requiring those schools to post on a publicly accessible portion of their website a listing of the specific learning materials used at each institution.

KANSAS: Kansas Policy Institute helped pass House Bill 2567. School boards are now required to annually review state academic assessments and conduct a building needs assessment in all schools, publicizing both to ensure transparency and accountability, before approving the district’s annual budget.

MICHIGAN: The Michigan Senate adopted a bill that asserts “the fundamental rights of parents to direct their children’s education.” The Mackinac Center noted parents have the fundamental right and responsibility to direct their children’s education, and students benefit greatly when schools treat parents as trusted partners.

MISSISSIPPI: The Mississippi Governor signed a bill that was authored by theMississippi Center for Public Policy to address Critical Race Theory in the classroom.

MISSOURI: The Missouri Legislature advanced a critical piece of legislation that would help to guarantee parents’ role in their child’s education. The Show-Me Institute explained that among other things, the resolution would require curriculum transparency and impose meaningful grading of schools and districts so parents can see how their schools and districts stack up to their peers.

COLORADO: The Independence Institute filed a citizens initiative to expand the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) to permit parental access to teaching materials used in their kids’ classrooms.

Expanding access to charter schools

Charter schools are tuition-free public schools that are independently run. These schools contract or “charter” with a charter school authorizer—which can be a nonprofit organization, company, government agency, or university. By providing another tuition-free education option, charter schools benefit all families, but low-income families and families whose children do not thrive in a traditional school setting in particular. These parents, who normally don’t have a choice in where their child goes to school, are now provided with an alternative.

KENTUCKY: The Kentucky General Assembly overrode the Kentucky Governor’s veto of House Bill 9, which provides funding for public charter schools and will result in the opening of at least two of these schools in the commonwealth—one in Jefferson County and the other in Northern Kentucky. The Bluegrass Institute noted Kentucky’s parents will now have access to these innovative public schools just like families in 44 other states.

MISSOURI: The Missouri General Assembly passed a bill equalizing funding for charter school students with their district school peers. The American Federation for Children noted the legislation will ensure that all public school students are on an equal playing field with regard to state spending on education.

Giving families access to Education Savings Accounts and scholarship programs

Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) are state-supervised funds that parents can use to pay for a wide variety of education options. The state government deposits a portion of what the state would have spent to send the child to public school into a private account that parents can use for education-related expenses. ESAs empower parents by giving them the freedom to choose the education option that best meets their children’s needs. Tax credit scholarship programs allow individuals and corporations to donate money to a scholarship program and receive a tax credit. The scholarship money is awarded to families, mostly low-income, so they can pay for education-related costs.

ARIZONA: In a significant win for Arizona students and their families, the Arizona Governor signed a bill that expands the state’s Empowerment Scholarship program to all students in the state. The Goldwater Institute played a key role in advancing the bill. Under the new law, the state’s 1.1 million K-12 students are all eligible—making it the most expansive school choice program in the country.

GEORGIA: The Georgia General Assembly passed a bill which increases the cap on Georgia’s Tax Credit Scholarship Program. HB517 also doubles the amount individuals, LLCs, and S Corporations may contribute and removes the automatic sunset of the program. The Georgia Center for Opportunity noted the real beneficiaries of this legislation are the thousands of Georgia kids who will benefit from expanded access to a great education.

LOUISIANA: The Louisiana Legislature passed a bill that creates ESAs for kids with disabilities. The Pelican Institute noted parents of children with disabilities know their child’s needs best, and an ESA will allow them to create a customized educational program in consultation with their doctor.

OHIO: The Buckeye Institute-inspired Ohio Afterschool Child Enrichment (Ohio ACE) program launched in April 2022—allowing eligible families to apply for a $500 account for each of their K-12 children. This is Ohio’s first ESA program and will help families pay for a variety of necessary educational services.

OKLAHOMA: A bill that would provide the most significant expansion of school choice opportunity in Oklahoma history has won approval from a Senate committee and will next go before the entire Oklahoma Senate. The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs explained the bill would create the Oklahoma Empowerment Account (OEA) Program, which students could use to pay for a range of education services, including private-school tuition.

PENNSYLVANIA: The Pennsylvania House passed a bill to offer Lifeline Scholarships to students in underperforming school districts. The Commonwealth Foundation explained that if passed by the Senate and signed by the governor, the program will offer an Education Opportunity Account (EOA) to any student assigned to a district school in the bottom 15 percent of performance metrics based on state testing.

SOUTH DAKOTA: The South Dakota Legislature passed a school choice expansion bill. The American Federation for Children noted the legislation expands the eligibility and funding for the Partners in Education Tax Credit Program.

TENNESSEE: In a victory for school choice, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that a scholarship program for children from low-income families is constitutional and may go into effect. The ESA pilot program provides approximately $7,000 in funds for students to attend the independent school of their choice. Attorneys from the Liberty Justice Center represented a coalition of parents and schools and successfully argued to reverse a lower-court order blocking the program alongside attorneys from the Beacon Center and Institute for Justice. Beacon Center CEO, Justin Owen stated, “We are fully confident after this decision that families in Nashville and Memphis will finally get the choice opportunities that they deserve.”

UTAH: The Utah Governor signed a law that expands the state’s existing special needs ESA to include siblings of children with special needs who receive scholarships. State Policy Network formed a coalition of organizations to work on this bill and paid for polling and message research on school choice in Utah.

Protecting learning pods—a new, innovative option for families

A learning pod is a small group of children who come together to learn and socialize. Learning pods are organized by parents, who take turns teaching or may even split the costs and hire an instructor. No two pods are alike because they’re based on families’ specific needs. Students might learn inside a parent’s home, a backyard, or community center. Some pods use the students’ public school curriculum while others use their own course of study.

WEST VIRGINIA: The West Virginia Governor signed a law that permits learning pods to continue operating in the state. In 2020, State Policy Network conducted research on learning pod regulation and the threat it poses towards a parent’s ability to start and run learning pods. Later that year, SPN developed model legislation to define and protect this innovated education method from regulation—and in 2022 West Virginia adopted that legislation.

Funding students, not systems

Education funding formulas, or the process for distributing money to a school or school district, is often very complex. This complexity it makes it very difficult, if not impossible, for Americans to understand why a school generated the funding that it did or what the school used those funds for. It’s also very difficult for residents, and notably parents, to keep the school accountable for its academic results.

TENNESSEE: Thanks to the Beacon Center, Tennessee reformed its education funding formula to prioritize teachers and students, not systems. The Tennessee Legislature passed the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement Act (TISA), a plan spearheaded by the Tennessee Governor which will allow more money to flow into classrooms. Under TISA, every child in the state will receive a certain amount of money for education. Tennessee’s Department of Education will provide school districts with the money in a lump sum, and those schools will have flexibility in how that money is spent.

State Policy Network works alongside state think tanks like Beacon to help them advance reforms like these that improve education outcomes for families. During this campaign, SPN helped connect Beacon with national partners who study education funding and how that process works in other states. SPN also provided messaging support on how to effectively communicate this issue to lawmakers and the public.

VIRGINIA: During Virginia’s 2022 legislative session, the Thomas Jefferson Institute successfully defeated efforts to halve the school choice funding in the state.

Adopting reforms to help students read

ALASKA: The Alaska Policy Forum, in partnership with SPN, spearheaded multiyear efforts to pass “Read by 9” in the state. This policy helps address Alaska’s 3rd grade literacy crisis. Each year, as the grade level demands go up, students who are not proficient readers tend to fall further behind and become outsiders inside the classroom. By fourth grade, if students are not proficient readers, half of the curriculum at higher grade levels will be incomprehensible to them.

Allowing students to transfer to a different public school

KANSAS: Kansas passed the Kansas Policy Institute’s public school open enrollment law. Now, if a public school has space, any child in the state may attend there. Kansas Policy explained the law requires districts to accept out-of-district students if there are ‘open seats’ available in district schools.

November 20, 2022 In In The News

Distinguished Public Safety Expert Joins A Better Delaware Advisory Board

From: A Better Delaware

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WILMINGTON, Del. — Dennis E. Godek has joined the Advisory Board of A Better Delaware, a non-partisan public policy and political advocacy organization which supports pro-growth, pro-jobs policies and greater transparency and accountability in Delaware’s state government.

Godek has dedicated his career to public safety. Most recently, he retired as assistant chief of career services with the Christiana Fire Company. In that role, Godek served as commanding officer of all paid fire and emergency medical service personnel.

The 2016 president of the New Castle County Fire Chiefs Association, Godek is a life member of the Elsmere Fire Company, having served since 1970. He has served Elsmere as secretary, ambulance captain, engine captain, assistant chief, deputy chief and fire chief.

Godek retired from the New Castle County Police Department in 1998 as a captain after 24 years of service on assignment with multiple commands, including commander of criminal investigations and commander of patrol. He started his career with New Castle County as a fire dispatcher in 1974. Since his retirement from NCCPD, Dennis has served as town manager of Elsmere, worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, served as vice president of a public safety consulting firm in New Jersey, conducted federal security clearance investigations for the Department of Defense, U.S. Customs, and the National Security Agency.

Chris Kenny, chairman and founder of A Better Delaware, announced the addition of Godek to the Advisory Board last week.

“Dennis Godek has dedicated his entire career to public safety. As Delaware combats crime, Dennis’s guidance will be invaluable,” Kenny said. “The pro-growth, pro-jobs policies A Better Delaware is advocating for can only be effective when Delawareans are assured that their property is safe and neighborhoods secure.”

“I’m honored to join the Advisory Board of A Better Delaware,” Godek said. “I’ve spent my entire professional life working to keep our streets safe. Today, especially in New Castle County, our small business owners and employees demand more from our government. A Better Delaware has a different vision for the First State, and I hope my guidance will help them achieve it.”

“Dennis Godek is a welcome addition to our Advisory Board,” said Kathleen Rutherford, executive director of A Better Delaware. “If Delaware doesn’t act swiftly to address the difficult issue of property crime, costs will inevitably rise and people will think twice about visiting or moving to the First State. Dennis offers common-sense policy solutions to prevent crime, keep our communities safe and create an environment for businesses to thrive.”

November 17, 2022 In Blog

Should the ‘California Way’ be the ‘Delaware Way’?

From: Kathleen Rutherford, Executive Director

If you haven’t yet heard, Delaware’s Division of Air Quality (housed in DNREC) is now considering regulations to ban new internal combustion vehicles by 2035. Following the lead of the State of California, only new electric vehicles can be sold in Delaware, although it does not explicitly ban fossil fuel-based cars. Why would we want to do this?

According to an executive order signed by Governor Newsom of California, this is part of his draconian attempt to fight climate change. Remember that carbon dioxide is not a pollutant; it is a life-affirming gas that is needed by vegetation to thrive on our planet. Carbon dioxide concentrations have been rising over the last thirty years and, except for selected areas of deforestation and urbanization, satellites have shown that a majority of the planet has become noticeably greener. The planet is becoming warmer, but carbon dioxide is merely a bit player in this manifestation of climate change. And no definitive trends exist in flood or drought frequencies, the frequency, intensity, or landfall potential of tropical cyclones, or the increase in the rate of sea-level rise.

Moreover, electric vehicles are not green. The batteries on which they run require extensive environmental degradation, particularly in China and Africa, to extract them from the earth. Their production requires much energy to produce, which is usually obtained from the combustion of fossil fuels. At present, the batteries cannot be recycled and thus they litter landfills. And most of the electricity produced, distributed through the grid, and used to recharge the batteries comes from the combustion of fossil fuels.

In Delaware, the stated reason why DNREC proposes to adopt the California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations is to comply with EPAs ozone standard. Tropospheric ozone (ozone near the surface) is a pollutant that damages vegetation and makes breathing difficult, particularly for those with asthma. But New Castle County currently complies with the EPA standard, although it is lumped in with the Philadelphia SMSA which does not.

Even left-leaning news outlets are questioning the wisdom of the California regulations. The New York Times raises the concern that success depends on how well consumers take to electric cars and their limitations, and how rapidly auto manufacturers can solve the problems associated with mass production of electric vehicles.

Used vehicles are exempt, which could cause Delaware (or California) to become like Cuba where old used cars fill the highways.

The 1959 Cuban Revolution and the subsequent import embargo that Castro placed on foreign car imports and their parts stalled automobile development. Thus, Cuban streets were filled with 1950s vintage cars for decades afterwards. After 2035, will Delaware look like Cuba did?

Both the Associated Press and The Washington Post notes these limitations but go on to argue that infrastructure issues can create further difficulties. Although California has 80,000 charging stations (the most in the country), they will need to increase that by a factor of 15 to refuel all of the new electric vehicles—Delaware will need many more as well. Rural areas are more of a challenge; thus, Kent and Sussex Counties will lag behind.

Moreover, to accommodate these new electric vehicles, a more robust energy grid, an enhanced supply chain of materials such as lithium for batteries, and the availability and affordability of vehicles for all income levels are prerequisites.

It is premature to consider these regulations as the California ban on internal combustion engines has been challenged in court by 17 states, mostly in the Midwest. The Missouri State Attorney General commented, “If California can set restrictive ‘gas emissions’ standards, manufacturing becomes astronomically expensive, and those additional costs are passed onto consumers, many of which are Missourians.” If Delaware adopts such standards, expect consumer costs to skyrocket since the cost of transportation affects virtually everything that consumers purchase.

Given all of these challenges, it is highly premature to pursue a policy that will radically change our transportation, supply chain, and manufacturing network, and that will cause state taxes to rise astronomically to accommodate this policy. If we make it more expensive for businesses to operate in Delaware, they are likely to move to another state, taking their jobs with them. Since carbon dioxide is a life-affirming gas and that electric batteries are not green and require much energy, largely fossil-fuel based, to produce, this is not a viable economic and environmental choice.

Thus, a better solution would be to study the arguments of both sides of the existing litigation and wait to see the outcome in the courts. In the meantime, we must weigh the costs of this repressive policy in light of the adverse economic impacts that the policy is likely to have. The correct path forward is to hold off on pushing this into State policy until more information and the court decision can be brought to bear. Moreover, the state needs buy-in from its citizens rather than hurriedly enact this policy through a DNREC edict.

November 17, 2022 In In The News

The End of Representative Government and Freedom in Delaware

From:Caesar Rodney Institute

Two and a half years after COVID-19 first hit we are still in a state of emergency giving un-democratic power to Delaware’s Governor with no end in sight. His executive branch regulators are circumventing our elected representatives to dictate what kind of motor vehicle we can buy and how we power our homes.

Governor Carney’s executive decision to join the multistate Climate Alliancethat agrees to follow crazy California regulations is about to go into action. DNREC is already drafting regulations to ban the sale of gasoline and diesel-powered cars. Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC) basis for this regulation is illegal.

California has completed its regulation on banning the sale of gasoline and diesel-powered motor vehicles by 2035.

In California, by mandate, 35% of new vehicle sales must be either plugin electric vehicles (EVs) or hydrogen-powered by 2026, increasing to 100% in 2035.

Some states that have joined the Climate Alliance have also committed to following California regulations. Most states, including Delaware, joined the Alliance by executive action, not giving their legislatures a chance to weigh in on the issue. In Delaware, last-minute Senate Bill 305 which might have provided legislative cover for this action was shot down in the House but will likely reappear next year.

Why is this so dangerous? First of all, Americans have fought and died for freedom, which includes the choice of what products we buy in a free market economy. The move to EVs will dramatically increase both the price of motor vehicles and electric rates to cover upgrades to the electric grid. Those increased costs will hurt the poor and middle class the most.

The US Energy Information Agency, before recent high inflation rates hit, estimated a 26% of US households were struggling paying electric bills requiring monthly decisions to pay the electric bill or buy food and healthcare. Some might argue that reducing carbon dioxide emissions is so critical that we must act.

This argument, however, is not factual based. Multiple studies of cradle-to-grave emissions show little reductions compared to conventional vehicles. EVs are about the worst choice to reduce emissions. Currently, EV batteries are warranted for 100,000 miles or eight years, whichever comes first. Then it’s most likely off to the landfill!

Estimates of emission reductions range from zero to about 14 tons over eight years. For perspective, Delaware has a tax on emissions from power plants now costing $14/ton ,so the value of emission savings might be $0 to $196 over the life of the vehicle with a price premium averaging $18,000. That’s a lousy return.

Think the cost of EVs will come down? Tesla, GM, Ford, and other EV manufacturers have been raising vehicle prices $6,000 to $8,000 higher over just the last month, basically capturing the full value of new federal consumer tax credits for the manufacturers.

There are many more issues with electric vehicles.

Range drops dramatically in the cold, with some models averaging 30% less range.
You can’t charge during a blackout. Just four days after banning the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035, California asked EV owners not to charge during a peak demand period to avoid crashing the grid.
Massive spending will be needed for the electric grid and charging infrastructure, with one estimate as high as $5,800 per EV.
95% of charging occurs at home or work, so public chargers are used only a few percent of the time resulting in unprofitable, poorly maintained public chargers.
Lithium battery fires are a real concern and very difficult to extinguish.

The US Energy Information Agency forecasts that only about 13% of the US light-duty vehicle sales will be electric vehicles by 2050.

When the 2050 sales forecast for EVs is only 13%, it’s no secret the obvious and only way to increase future demand for electric vehicles is for the government to get involved by mandating and giving out subsidies, aka taxpayers’ money.

It is not too late to alert your legislators to stop this attack on your freedom. You may also consider only voting for candidates who will oppose these kinds of regulations.

November 16, 2022 In In The News

free market should drive electric vehicle sales not the government

“I believe Alabama is uniquely positioned to be a leader in the EV industry.”

Those were the words of Alabama Governor Kay Ivey delivering the opening remarks at the Drive Electric Alabama EV Summit this past week. She continued, “We need to lean in on this new technology for the sake of our economy tomorrow.”

The two-day summit, which targeted electric vehicle initiatives in Alabama and provided information on charging infrastructure, comes ten months after the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) alongside Governor Ivey launched Alabama Drive Electric, the state’s electric vehicle (EV) education and marketing program.

At the launch in November 2021, ADECA director and state cabinet member Kenneth Boswell stated, “It’s clear electric vehicles represent the next generation of automobile manufacturing.”

In 2021, Governor Ivey awarded 18 grants totaling more than $4.1 million in a combination of legislature-appropriated funds and Volkswagen settlement funds to install electric vehicle charging stations across the state.

According to ADECA, which administers the EV Infrastructure Program, Alabama allocated $1 million for FY2021 and $2 million for FY2022 for charging stations. The state also allocated $1 million both years for EV education.

In addition to state funds, as part of the Biden administration’s Infrastructure Law, Alabama expects to receive $79,308,285 through the five-year National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program with $11,738,801 already apportioned on February 10, 2022.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, in Alabama, “government and non-government entities are eligible to receive up to $500,000 for the installation of direct current fast charging (DCFC) stations along Interstate 22 in Alabama. ADECA also offers grants of up to $250,000 for the installation of Level 2 or DCFC stations along non-interstate corridors.”

Furthermore, under the federal Inflation Reduction Act, the IRS provides EV drivers in Alabama with a commercial EV tax credit, up to $7,500 for smaller vehicles and up to $40,000 for larger vehicles.

A marketing campaign, the creation of a new state department, a summit, grants and subsidies, and millions of federal and state tax dollars have been allocated to the expansion of EVs in Alabama.

The incentive has been created. Why the strong push for electric vehicles in Alabama?

These “incentives,” in the form of government subsidies, have been utilized to create a market for electric vehicles. In reality, the market’s demand for electric vehicles doesn’t match the current interest with government regulation and subsidies. This created demand isn’t a free market exercise, but it is being government manufactured with hundreds of billions of dollars in deficit spending.

According to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, statewide, Alabama had a mere 2,890 EVs in 2020, 0.05 percent of overall vehicle registrations. In 2021, Alabama increased EV registrations to 4,757, but it still represents a negligible presence on our roadways.

There are obvious downsides to EVs in comparison to traditional gas vehicles:

Limited driving range
Limited battery life
High costs (even with tax credits)
Additional demands placed on existing electric grids
Questions about where and how to dispose of old batteries
Questions about the overarching environmental impact of producing EVs

Even if market demand was there, is an exclusive EV option really what’s best for all of us? For example, are EVs feasible in cases of a hurricane or other evacuation scenarios? If there isn’t electricity, EVs cannot charge. In comparison, gas vehicle owners can keep a spare gas can in their garage and fill up the car’s tank to safely leave town in time. Does it make sense to put diesel generators next to all charging stations as a backup?

Would the market support this industry without these incentives? It would probably be a growing industry, but would not look anything like what we are currently witnessing. It is no surprise there would be less of a market for the electric vehicle infrastructure without federal and state incentives.

Electric vehicles have become a government-regulated industry. Do automobile companies and state governments have an opportunity to not invest in electric vehicles?

Last week, Hertz, an American rental car company, agreed to purchase up to 175,000 electric vehicles from General Motors (GM) over the next five years. This contributes to the company’s goal of having one-quarter of its fleet being electric by the end of 2024. Hertz has also teamed up with BP Pulse, the global electrification and charging solution brand of multinational oil and gas company BP, to build electric charging stations for its fleet across North America. Ambitiously, GM, the largest U.S. automaker, announced its plans to sell only vehicles that have zero tailpipe emissions by 2035, phasing out petroleum-powered cars and trucks. This is all part of GM’s plan to be carbon neutral by 2040 in its global products and operations.

As seen by Alabama’s initiatives, major corporations aren’t alone in the shift from gas-powered vehicles to EVs. California is the state with one of the most drastic EV measures. The Golden State is committed to 100% new zero-emission vehicles by 2035.

This is not to say electric vehicles don’t have any advantages. However, the free market should decide the advantages of electric vehicles, not the government through regulations and mandates.

It feels like the entire nation is rushing to transition everyone away from gas to electric cars. The federal government is spending money anywhere and everywhere to make this a reality. At the same time, state governments, utilities, and manufacturing companies are all too excited to spend this money. This is all being done to minimize the amount of carbon dioxide emissions to keep the earth’s temperature from increasing. We are being told we are in a crisis and must act fast. The United Nations’ own climate model claims that the hundreds of billions of dollars allocated for this climate emergency from the Inflation Reduction Act calculates that if no additional funding is provided past 2030, the global temperature will be reduced by .0009 degrees by the end of the century. Is this a good return on investment?

If Alabamians want to buy an electric vehicle they should be free to do so, but the free market should drive the demand. With the federal government’s appetite to spend money it doesn’t have, it is power is powerful enough to influence state governments, utility companies, automobile manufacturers, and ultimately even limit an individual’s freedom to drive the car of their choice.

November 15, 2022 In In The News

Stop the Ban on Gasoline-powered Vehicles

From: Caesar Rodney Institute

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Air Quality, has started writing amended regulations to eventually ban new gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles from being registered in the state. You will be forced to buy electric vehicles (EVs), currently averaging $14,000 MORE per vehicle than conventional cars and trucks.

The stated legal basis for amending existing regulations is the need to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). However, Delaware already meets the standard by a significant margin.

DNREC’s Division of Air Quality will host a series of public hearings to review the DRAFT AMENDED regulations starting Tuesday, November 15. We encourage you to participate and make public comments to stop these regulations and protect your freedom of choice. Please see below for additional dates.

DELAWARE MEETS THE EPA’S NAAQS FOR OZONE STANDARD: LET’S SUBMIT A NEW APPEAL TO THE EPA TO BE IN “ATTAINMENT”

DNREC’s Division of Air Quality points to a technicality that the EPA includes New Castle County in the greater Philadelphia “non-attainment area.” This argument doesn’t work, either.

They recommended that the EPA allow New Castle County to be out of that regional assignment in 2017. The EPA rejected the recommendation as New Castle County was out of compliance in 2017, and evidence showed Delaware emissions were impacting upwind monitoring stations in the non-attainment area.

Now the ten closest upwind monitoring stations are all meeting the ozone standard.

Motor vehicle emissions in Delaware have fallen about 40% since 2017 and 80% to 90% since 1990. DNREC’s Division of Air Quality could submit a new appeal to the EPA to pull New Castle County out of the greater Philadelphia region, which would most likely succeed, and no EV mandate would be necessary.

The EPA even admits being in “attainment is an economic development advantage as new source permits are easier to obtain.” New Castle County would benefit from such an advantage to expand existing businesses more easily and be more inviting to new businesses.

WE SUSPECT DNREC’S DIVISION OF AIR QUALITY IS NOT BEING HONEST ABOUT ITS REAL GOAL

In a 2019 exchange with the EPA, DNREC focused only on the carbon-cutting benefits of EVs and made no reference to air quality benefits. Now, DNREC’s regulatory effort ignores the carbon-cutting impact. Governor Carney joined the Climate Alliance in 2017 along with seventeen other states, including a promise to follow California motor-vehicle-carbon emission rules instead of national ones. DNREC’s resulting Climate Action Plan, which includes an EV mandate, is clearly aimed at carbon-cutting. The state may find it wise to await the outcome of a robust legal challenge to California’s ability to write such rules.

DNREC’s Division of Air Quality wrote its start of action notice in April 2022, hoping a bill (SB 305) would pass the Delaware legislature authorizing the regulation of carbon dioxide emissions as an executive order alone will probably not survive a legal challenge. The bill failed in June 2022 as legislators noted it could lead to a ban on gasoline-powered vehicles and a ban on natural gas and propane hookups in new construction. After the bill failed, they began this regulatory process in July 2022.

DELAWARE HAS NO ACTION PLAN FOR OFFERING GRANTS TO OFFSET THE HIGH PURCHASE PRICE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES

When California adopted the EV mandate, they began offering up to $14,000 in grants to lower-income people so they could buy an EV. There is no such companion action in Delaware. One estimate suggests the state needs to spend up to $100 million on subsidies on vehicles and chargers to meet the EV mandate.

Over a quarter of families are already in energy poverty. How are they, and even middle-income families, to afford this? Between 2016 and 2021, in-state electric generation fell by 50%. Where is the electric power coming from to charge these EVs, and how much will electric rates increase? Fuel taxes fund highway construction and repair. How will road projects be funded?

PUBLIC COMMENT DATES: You can comment in person at public meetings on November 15 at 10 a.m., November 16 at 1 .p.m., and November 17 at 6 p.m. with details at this link https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/public-notices/public-workshops-draft-amendments-to-the-low-emission-vehicle-program/.

If you can’t attend, you can send public comments on Low Emission Vehicle amendments to Kyle.Krall@delaware.gov.

For more detail and a list of references for this article, please follow this link: https://www.caesarrodney.org/pdfs/Public_Comments_on_Alternative_to_proposed_DNREC_EV_mandate2.pdf

November 13, 2022 In In The News

Distinguished Climatologist Joins A Better Delaware Advisory Board

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WILMINGTON, Del. — David R. Legates, Ph.D. has joined the Advisory Board of A Better Delaware, a non-partisan public policy and political advocacy organization which supports pro-growth, pro-jobs policies and greater transparency and accountability in Delaware’s state government.

Legates is a retired tenured professor of climatology, geography, and spatial sciences in the Department of Geography at the University of Delaware and a retired adjunct professor in the Department of Applied Economics and Statistics. He has served as research scientist at the Southern Regional Climate Center, chief research scientist at the Center for Computational Geosciences, and visiting research scientist at the National Climatic Data Center. He recently served as the Executive Director of the US Global Change Research Program.

Legates has been published more than 125 times in refereed journals, conference proceedings, and monograph series and has made more than 250 professional presentations. A former Delaware state climatologist, in Sept. 2020 Legates was appointed to Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Observation and Prediction at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Chris Kenny, Chairman and Founder of A Better Delaware announced the addition of Legates to the Advisory Board last week. “David Legates is a leading voice in the area of climate science who will offer A Better Delaware sound guidance as the First State navigates the many challenges it faces as a coastal state with vast farmlands and open spaces,” Kenny said. “David understands both the science and the regulatory landscape surrounding issues of safe energy generation, efficient transmission, environmental hazard exposure and climate volatility.”

“I’m honored to join the Advisory Board of A Better Delaware,” Legates said. “Our state faces a number of challenges in the area of energy production and requires a pragmatic approach that keeps taxpayers and businesses at the forefront. To that end, I’m eager to share my experience to help advocate for responsible policy”.

“Dr. Legates is a welcome addition to our Advisory Board,” said Kathleen Rutherford, Executive Director of A Better Delaware. “It is imperative that Delaware not follow other states in rapidly moving away from legacy energy production to renewables without adequate intermediate steps. David Legates will guide ABD as we advocate for policy that supports reliable and cost-effective sources of energy for all Delawareans.”

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The End of Representative Government and Freedom in Delaware

free market should drive electric vehicle sales not the government

Stop the Ban on Gasoline-powered Vehicles

Distinguished Climatologist Joins A Better Delaware Advisory Board

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