HELENA, Mont. (NMB) – Governor Greg Gianforte has announced that he has vetoed a bill that would have assessed annual fees for electric vehicles.
House Bill 188, sponsored by Republican Denley Loge of St. Regis, would have assessed annual fees of $195 for owners of light electric vehicles and $375 for heavy electric vehicles.
In the veto letter, Gianforte said he believes there is a need to charge electric vehicle owners for their “fair share to fund the state’s road infrastructure,” but that the fees listed in HB 188 were excessive.
He says that he recommends the Legislature bring a proposal next session that adopts a “reasonable fee that better aligns with the fees of a majority of the other 28 states that have adopted them.”
HB 188 made it through the legislature almost entirely on Republican support, with only four Democrats in the House supporting it on third reading.
