A state environmental board has postponed a meeting scheduled for Thursday to consider electric vehicle sales mandates for Maine.
The Board of Environmental Protection did not set a new date. It called off the meeting because of the statewide storm Monday that left hundreds of thousands of residents and businesses without power and made roads hazardous or impassable.
Leading Democrats and Republicans in Maine have announced their opposition to the proposal to limit the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles and encourage more emissions-free electric vehicles. BEP members are considering regulations to limit the sale of new gas-powered vehicles. The rules would take effect for 2027 model-year vehicles and would eventually require 82% of new vehicles sold to be considered zero emissions by the 2032 model year.
The transportation sector is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, forcing policymakers to consider electric vehicles that are free of emissions but rely on charging stations that may be few in number in rural, unpopulated areas.
Supporters of the proposal say Mainers would benefit by adopting electric vehicle sales rules to attract the new technology that would otherwise go to states that also have adopted the rules.
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