A proposal to give the Legislature final say over motor vehicle emissions standards in Maine took a step forward this week.
Members of a legislative committee voted unanimously on Thursday to endorse a bill that would take that power away from the state Board of Environmental Protection. It follows efforts by environmental groups to have Maine follow California’s lead and require that automakers steadily increase the percentage of electric vehicles sold in the state.
The boardrejected the "clean cars" proposalon Wednesday following months of controversy.
Board members expressed concerns about costs to consumers, the availability of charging stations, the capacity of New England's power grid and Maine's inability to offer the robust financial incentives to car purchasers that states like California offer. But the petitioners who forced the board to consider the rules argued that reducing transportation-related emissions is one of the most critical steps to achieving Maine's ambitious goals for addressing climate change.
The bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Mike Soboleski of Phillips would require lawmakers to approve any future changes to vehicle emissions standards by changing such rulemaking from "technical" to "major substantive." While the debate over new EV standards in Maine has often had partisan overtones, Soboleski's bill was co-sponsored by Democratic House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross of Portland and Senate President Troy Jackson of Allagash.
"I just what to remind everybody that this is what the department or the Board of Environmental Protection wanted," Soboleski said before the vote. "They made their recommendation in their annual report that the Legislature make these rules major-substantive. And that's what this bill was all about."
The bill now goes to the full Legislature for consideration.
