On April 6th, Philadelphia City Council voted on bill 170093-A to amend Section 12-1131 of The Philadelphia Code entitled, "Electric Vehicle Parking." The bill will place a moratorium on electric vehicle parking, and it also changes the rules for the worse for participants already in the EV program. This is a step backward for Philadelphia's environmental policies, and undoes the recent successes toward green initiatives.

If the bill passes, those already in the EV program (currently 68 spots, or <0.1% of street parking) are at risk of being unable to charge their electric vehicles, potentially rendering them undriveable. The change will revise the hours during which a parking space is designated for EVs from 24 hours, to the hours of 6pm-6am. For many of us, our cars require more than 12 hours to charge, or we have schedules that vary and do not allow for us to plan around this arbitrary schedule. Mayor Kenney - to be clear, this is a bait-and-switch.

As a new parent, I was particularly proud of our city for making the decision to be environmentally focused when the EV Program was started. This is one of several programs we're proud to participate in (also Local Buy Nothing groups, a local community Garden, and my studies in Environmental Sustainability). My son, Theodore Elon, was purposely named for two leaders in environmental progress. Theodore, for President Theodore Roosevelt who established the National Parks and preserved our natural wonders. Elon, for Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, Solar City, and SpaceX, who is revolutionizing how we think about preserving our future on this planet through transportation and solar energy. When we enrolled in the program, although he could not yet understand me, I recall saying to my son "you will grow up in a world no longer fully reliant on fossil fuels." Now I feel that goal is at risk.

To Mayor Kenney, please veto this bill in favor of a more appropriately thought out proposal.

To City Council, please work with your constituents, including those already enrolled in the EV program who you are negatively impacting, to craft an appropriate policy.