The Mills administration is signaling that it won’t follow California’s lead in prohibiting the sale of gas-powered automobiles and vehicles within the state by 2035.
Maine has previously joined different states in adopting automobile emissions requirements or different environmental rules first adopted by California. But Gov. Janet Mills is not endorsing California’s newest, bold plan to require all new automobiles, vehicles and SUVs to run on electrical energy or hydrogen by 2035.
“I’d not be inclined to undertake any mandate alongside these traces,” Mills mentioned Friday morning in a short interview following a State House occasion. “Make electric vehicles available, rebates available — but not a mandate.”
In a follow-up statement, Mills spokeswoman Lindsay Crete said Maine “will not blindly follow the lead of any other state but, instead, will put the interests of our state and people first to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, half of which in Maine come from transportation.”
Given the large dimension of the California market, the current vote by regulators there’s anticipated to offer further motivation for auto producers to hasten their transition to electric vehicles. In Maine, the Mills administration has set an bold purpose of getting 219,000 electric vehicles, or EVs, registered within the state by 2030. But as of final yr, there have been solely about 5,500 EVs on the street in Maine.
Under the Inflation Reduction Act lately handed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, automobile consumers may qualify for as much as a $7,500 tax credit score for the acquisition of a brand new EV or as much as $4,000 in tax credit for a used one. Crete mentioned that Maine can also be increasing the variety of EV charging stations across the state, notably in rural areas, and is offering state incentives to customers whereas working on different initiatives to enhance public transition and power effectivity.
“This work will save Maine people money, while improving our economy and quality of life,” Crete mentioned.
Roughly one-half of Maine’s greenhouse gasoline emissions come from the transportation sector, so lowering tailpipe air pollution is a key part in assembly the state’s emissions reductions objectives. Those official objectives are to scale back carbon emissions by 45% from 1990 ranges by 2030 and by 80% by 2050.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has proposed adopting one other California regulation, referred to as the California Advanced Clean Trucks Rule, that might require business truck and van producers to promote an rising variety of EVs within the state starting with 2025 fashions. If adopted, producers may face penalties for failing to dwell as much as the principles. The Maine Board of Environmental Protection solicited public remark final fall however the proposal continues to be pending.