Walz mandates EV charging stations because they’re so popular

As Gov. Tim Walz’s 100% carbon-free initiative speeds through the process this week, a little-known provision was tucked into his budget release that mandates electric vehicle charging stations be added to every new commercial and multi-family housing project. As we detailed here, the Walz budget is already making the cost of housing more expensive and this provision will make it significantly worse.

The One Minnesota Budget includes requiring electric vehicle charging infrastructure within or adjacent to new commercial and multi-family buildings to provide Minnesotans with more access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure and increase the feasibility of EV use for Minnesotans.

Walz is mandating electric car charging stations at every new affordable housing project. Think about it: how will people who qualify for affordable housing afford an electric car? It makes no sense!

Mandates are necessary when something you want is not happening in the marketplace organically. But that’s not what we were promised by Tim Walz, over and over again. He told us electric cars are inevitable, they are the future.

Here’s what Walz said in his State of the State address last year:

“It is simply happening, and there are solutions out there, free market solutions, it’s why many businesses are adapting these, that can start moving us to a sustainable future and can start protecting the environment that we need.”

Here’s Walz in a press conference announcing his clean cars initiative, following the lead of California:

“The market and Minnesotans are demanding options, they’re demanding that these be available.”

Walz reiterated this point at another press conference celebrating the implementation of his clean car rule:

“In a capitalistic society where the free market is operating truly freely, you’re going to see entrepreneurs figure out work-arounds, figure out solutions and make that happen…

This is being led by business, this is being led by the manufacturers, this is being led by market demand…

It’s the market, and the manufacturers and the entrepreneurs and the business community and everything is moving in this direction.”

Even worse than his rhetoric not matching his actions, Walz floated the idea of tax credits for building owners to encourage them to add charging stations last summer when he was running for reelection.

“We should look about tax credits for building owners who are putting in these charging stations.”

But now that he’s won a second term, the encouragement turned into a mandate. Wind turbines, solar panels and now electric vehicle charging stations all require government subsidies or mandates because the market will always choose the smarter and less expensive alternative. If only Walz’s major was economics instead of geography…