Maine’s upcoming vote on phasing out gas car sales, explained (NRCM again attacks our way of life)

by Billy Kobin

December 11, 2023

AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Board of Environmental Protection is set to vote just before Christmas on a controversial rule aimed at phasing out new sales of gas-powered cars and boosting electric vehicle adoption.

The Dec. 21 vote will come after months of passionate debate and feedback on the plan the Natural Resources Council of Maine and several allies proposed this summer through a little-known provision in state law allowing citizens to bypass the Legislature and ask agencies to adopt or change rules if at least 150 registered voters sign a petition.

The board looks likely to approve the new rule modeled after California’s EV plan, although car dealers have shared skepticism about demand and Republicans in the minority at the Democratic-controlled State House have tried in vain to stop the plan from advancing.

What would the rule require?
The “Advanced Clean Cars II” plan would require battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to make up 43 percent of new car sales for 2027 models and 82 percent of new sales by model year 2032. Officials noted earlier this year electric vehicles were making up just 6 percent of new sales in Maine.

NRCM and other supporters have noted it would not require anyone to give up current vehicles, nor would it apply to used car sales. The proposed rule would not go as far as California’s requirements to end the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035, but it would direct Maine to review progress by 2028 to determine if it should ultimately adopt the 2035 mandate.

The electric vehicle rule would not apply to emergency, off-road, rural postal carrier and military vehicles, along with rental vehicles with a final destination outside Maine.

Will Maine enact similar sales requirements for electric trucks?
It doesn’t look like it. Citing concerns over cost and logistical issues, the board agreed in October to not have staff move forward with the “Advanced Clean Trucks” plan that would similarly try to encourage electric truck sales. It was pushed by environmentalists but was called unworkable by trucking interests.

Still, Josh Caldwell, NRCM’s climate outreach coordinator, noted that a state medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicle “roadmap” is in development based on feedback from a workgroup that met in 2022.

How is the board leaning on the EV rule?
Through an informal “straw poll” at its October meeting, four of the seven board members indicated support for advancing the electric car rule. Two were opposed and one was absent. Each of the seven board members were each appointed or reappointed by Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, and confirmed by the Legislature.

While staff could return with suggested tweaks to the proposal at the Dec. 21 meeting, Caldwell said supporters have not heard of any planned changes.

How many EVs are on the road in Maine?
The Maine Climate Council released updated figures Dec. 1 showing 12,369 electric vehicles are on the road, about 3,000 more than last year. It is still a long way from the Mills administration’s goal of having 219,000 EVs registered in Maine by 2030.

Cumberland County has the most EVs overall at per 1,000 people at 16, according to state data. Hancock and Knox counties are just behind at 13 and 12, respectively.

Please continue reading at https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/12/11/politics/maines-upcoming...

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Comment by Stephen Littlefield on January 16, 2024 at 10:05am

One thing this doesn't address is the people in the state that can't afford 'new' cars and can't afford a used car that may require a new battery that costs more than the used car! This in a way is forcing some of limited means to make desperate decisions and buying autos at unrealistic prices making their lives that much worse or even forcing them to leave the state to survive!

Comment by Thinklike A. Mountain on December 14, 2023 at 2:39pm

World class A-Holes illegally residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

https://www.infowars.com/posts/bizarre-jill-biden-christmas-video-f...

Comment by arthur qwenk on December 14, 2023 at 11:11am

The Maine legislature has leaned so far to the left that upon visual  inspection, it uses its ass to think and not it's brains.

Comment by Penny Gray on December 12, 2023 at 5:02pm

I second Dan's motion.

Comment by Dan McKay on December 12, 2023 at 5:07am

The NRCM no longer has any connections to the human race. Mr. Musk, prepare a SpaceX launch for deportation.

 

Maine as Third World Country:

CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power

 

Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.

Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT

******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********

(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/

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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law

Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future

"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."

https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/

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