Texas governor supports $5,000 incentive for plug-in vehicles

Here's a benefit to living with dirty air in Texas: getting $5,000 off the price of your plug-in hybrid vehicle. That's the amount being proposed in the state legislature and supported by Gov. Rick Perry. In the governor's state of the state speech last night, Perry said, "I support giving Texans in the non-attainment areas of our state a $5,000 incentive towards a purchase of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles, using the funds Texans have already paid to reduce emissions, while providing a unique way to store wind energy."

The phrase "non-attainment areas" refers to a place "where air pollution levels persistently exceed National Ambient Air Quality Standards, or that contributes to ambient air quality in a nearby area that fails to meet standards." So, if you live where there's dirty air, and this proposal passes, and the Chevy Volt ever appears in your local dealer lot, then you could get $12,500 off the sticker price, thanks to government help.

Perry was a strong supporter of building a coal gassification plant in Texas.

[Source: Wall Street Journal]