After being last year from an effort to phase out sales of new gas-powered cars over the next decade, Gov. Ned Lamont now says that he has little appetite to resume that fight under the Trump administration.
鈥淚 said a year ago, whatever it was, we鈥檙e going to follow the federal standards,鈥� Lamont told The 海角换妻 Mirror. 鈥淚鈥檓 sorry that there probably are no federal standards now.鈥�
Lamont was referring to the fact that 海角换妻 automatically reverted to federal emissions standards on the sale of new vehicles after state lawmakers 鈥� including some Democrats 鈥� balked at the idea of following California鈥檚 timeline requiring manufacturers to offer .
Under the Biden administration, those still required that EVs account for more than half of new vehicle sales by 2032, a consolation for climate-conscious state advocates and lawmakers.
Even that more relaxed timeline, however, was amid the flurry of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump on his first day in office.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 work if you鈥檙e an EV manufacturer and have five states with a different set of standards. I appreciate California鈥檚 one of them,鈥� Lamont added. 鈥淚t made a lot of sense when it was a national agenda and over 10 years 鈥� It鈥檚 not going to work having four states go off on their own.鈥�
Under the federal Clean Air Act, states have the option of following either the national vehicle emissions standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency or a stricter set of rules drafted by regulators in California.
海角换妻 began following the California standards in 2004 and continued doing so as regulators in that state gradually shifted from the goal of reducing smog-forming pollutants to fighting climate change. That led to Gov. Gavin Newsom announcing several years ago to begin phasing out all new sales of traditional gas-powered vehicles.
When Lamont , he ran into opposition from at least two Democrats on the legislature鈥檚 evenly partisan Regulations Review Committee. Rather than watch the proposal fail, Lamont withdrew the proposal ahead of a planned vote.
After the regulatory path failed, lawmakers briefly considered legislation last year that would allow 海角换妻 to follow the California approach, but with an opt-out down the road should the transition to electric prove too difficult.
That idea, too, in a election year as many Democrats grew anxious about the issue in the face of repeated Republican attacks.
One of those Democrats who publicly opposed the effort, state Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, said last week that her views on the California regulations have not softened in the wake of Trump鈥檚 decision to eliminate the more moderate federal rules.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that that鈥檚 anything we should consider,鈥� said Osten, who represents a largely rural district where she has raised concerns about the availability of EV chargers.
Environmental advocates said they were disappointed but not surprised Monday to hear that Lamont was declining to reconsider the California approach. Charles Rothenberger, a climate and energy attorney with Save the Sound, said that even if the governor did attempt to resubmit the regulations now, 海角换妻 would likely be a model year or two behind due to the delay.
Meanwhile, he noted that a and the District of Columbia continue to follow California鈥檚 timeline, despite to rip away the state鈥檚 ability to set its own emissions standards. Rothenberger said there is 鈥渁bsolutely no mechanism鈥� in federal law for the administration to do so.
鈥淭here certainly is mischief the administration can create,鈥� Rothenberger said. 鈥淚t maybe doesn鈥檛 have as much relevance in 海角换妻 as it does in our neighboring states that are continuing to enforce the California standards.鈥�
Both the California and the Biden administration鈥檚 emissions standards applied to the sales of new vehicles, meaning that older, used vehicles could continue to be bought and sold amid the transition to electric.
The standards also faced vehement opposition from the fossil fuel industry, which depicted them as a 鈥渂an鈥� on gas-powered cars in that ran across swing states last year.
Michael Giaimo, the Northeast Regional Director of the American Petroleum Institute, released a statement on Monday praising state lawmakers for 鈥減rudently refraining鈥� from following the path of California.
鈥淭o that end, we encourage 海角换妻 officials to continue to take a measured approach that preserves consumer choice and the ability to access vehicles that fit the particular needs and desires of residents and businesses,鈥� Giaimo said.
Last month, California that would allow it to begin phasing out sales of larger diesel trucks after it became clear that the Trump administration would not approve the waiver, according to CalMatters.
Still, California is moving forward with its first deadline in the transition to smaller EVs, requiring at least 35% of model year 2026 vehicles be sold with electric, fuel cell or plug-in hybrid engines. About a in California last year met that standard.
In 海角换妻, by contrast, EVs accounted for roughly 11% of new vehicles sold last year, according to from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
Lamont said that he will focus on determining what effect Trump鈥檚 orders would have on the , which were being funded through millions of dollars in federal aid under the previous administration.
