"Less than a month after the Long Island Expressway's Clean Pass program lapsed, some groups and lawmakers are trying to bring it back, saying commutes have gotten longer since electric vehicles got booted from the HOV lanes... About 48,000 Clean Pass vehicles lost their ability to legally use the high-occupancy vehicle lanes on Oct. 1 because the federal government did not renew permission for New York and 14 other states to grant exemptions for zero-emission vehicles in HOV lanes on federal highways. Currently, only carpoolers are able to use the HOV lanes."
"Janis Boremski, 49, a teacher who lives in Huntington and works in Valley Stream, said she decided to pay $200 more per month to purchase a plug-in hybrid Chrysler Pacifica, rather than the gas version, in 2021 so she could spend more time with her kids rather than commuting. "It was like, what's worth more - the money or the time? Really, it's the time," she said. Now, no longer able to use the HOV lanes, her daily commute has become at least half an hour longer, she said. She recently joined a letter-writing campaign to federal lawmakers to reinstate the program, along with fellow teacher Christina Eannuzzi, of Medford."
The Clean Pass program lapsed on Oct. 1 after the federal government did not renew permission for New York and 14 other states to exempt zero-emission vehicles from HOV lane rules. About 48,000 vehicles lost legal access to high-occupancy vehicle lanes on the Long Island Expressway, leaving only carpoolers eligible. Some drivers who bought plug-in hybrids to save commute time now face longer trips, with at least one reporting an added half hour each way. Groups, lawmakers and organizers have launched campaigns and introduced bills at federal and state levels to seek reinstatement, though outcomes remain uncertain.
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