by Christine Stuart
After calling for rejection of certain language to a proposed regulation that would eventually outlaw sale of new gas-powered cars in Connecticut, nonpartisan legal officials have given the Regulations Review Committee the green light to approve them.
The reversal comes after the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection made minor changes to some of the language in the proposal.
The Legislative Commissioners Office replaced its prior recommendation to “reject without prejudice” after DEEP provided substitute language that addressed the two substantive concerns with the proposed light duty standards. A DEEP spokesman said the department updated a definition and offered more detail for a reporting requirement.
This means the Regulations Review Committee, which is evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, can move forward with a vote on the regulations Tuesday.
The regulations stem from a bipartisan 2004 law linking Connecticut’s vehicle emissions standards to those adopted by the state of California rather than less stringent standards authored by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
However, the proposal itself has become a political wedge issue with Republicans arguing the legislature had not contemplated the phase-out of gas-powered vehicles when it adopted the law.
Rep. Lucy Dathan, a New Canaan Democrat who co-chairs the Regs Review panel, said last week that it was difficult to say how the committee would vote on the issue.
“The situation is very fluid right now and we are still assessing all the different outcomes and conversations are still going on,” Dathan said. “I know it is a priority of the governor and I am very supportive of him and this effort.”
If adopted, Connecticut would join several other states including its neighbors Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island in embracing emissions standards. On Tuesday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration filed its own regulations to adopt the California standards.
“To be the first state in the country to renege on a commitment that we made first in 2004 and then again a couple of years ago, that’s a setback,” Gov. Ned Lamont said last week. “If we have to change course later, do so. Don’t do it now.”
However, the change has been met with staunch opposition from industries like fuel sellers and trucking companies who have framed the regulations as too aggressive and sure to raise the cost of consumer goods.
In a Wednesday press release, Chris Herb, president and CEO of Connecticut Energy Marketers Association, said the technical issues identified in the initial LCO recommendations were only part of the problem.
“Connecticut is not ready for an EV-only future,” Herb said. “We are urging lawmakers on the Regulation Review Committee to reject the proposal if it comes to a vote on Tuesday and if necessary, let the Connecticut General Assembly take over the process and debate it.
Meanwhile, environmental advocates at Connecticut League of Conservation Voters sought this week to increase pressure on Democratic legislative leaders to urge the committee to adopt the regulations and avoid delaying adoption of the clean air standards.
“We really need to have everyone who cares about climate, clean air and the public health effects of the emissions we’re trying to curb, they need to step up and lead the charge, push things forward and make sure they public understands they want to see these regs happen, that it’s in the best interest of the public,” Lori Brown, the group’s executive director, said last Tuesday.