DNREC finalizes clean car regulations, setting a zero-emission vehicle goal for the next nine years.
Delaware follows 11 other states in announcing the adoption of the Advanced Clean Car II program, which requires 82% of new cars and trucks sent to Delaware for sale to be zero-emission vehicles by 2032 – the initial proposed target was 100% by 2035.
In a Delaware State House of Representatives Republican Caucus newsletter, State Rep. Rich Collins (R-Millsboro) says, “The rules they announced yesterday [Wednesday] are not the same rules they unveiled for public discussion earlier this year,” he said. “Under the state Administrative Procedures Act, they should be resubmitting this altered proposal for review, not finalizing it.”
The regulation does not prohibit the sale or use of internal combustion engine vehicles, but State Sen. Brian Pettyjohn (R-Georgetown) believes the move toward ZEVs should happen as the market demand for them increases.
“I would like to see that happen naturally, as opposed to the government saying ‘okay, we’re going to put our finger on the scale and move this artificially,' quicker than manufacturing and technology and all of those other sectors can allow," he said.
When the proposal went through an initial public comment period, around 4,000 comments were filed and Pettyjohn said he and his staff found around 94% of them to be in opposition of the mandate.
Pettyjohn believes the United States will eventually reach 100% ZEVs, but believes that there is still work to be done in making these types of vehicles more accessible.
“As technology improves, as reliability improves, as the cost of these come down, as the electric grid gets built out and resilient enough, I think you’re going to see a shift — a natural shift," he said.
Pettyjohn introduced Senate Bill 96 in August that would prohibit DNREC from adopting ACC II, and while the bill remains in committee, he is hopeful to pursue it when the legislative session starts again.
"The bill's not dead. There was an interview that Sen. Sokola (D-Newark) gave at the end of session that seemed to indicate that they wanted to have some further discussion on that bill."
State Senate Environment & Energy Committee Chair Sen. Stephanie Hansen (D-Middletown) says the market is too unreliable and it’s up to the government to show businesses that investing in ZEVs doesn’t have to be risky.
“Putting these regulations in place – we’re providing certainty, and certainty drives investment... What they [businesses] want to see is, 'is government invested in this? Is government going to step forward and give us some certainty that if we invest our money and our time and change out business models and change our training programs, that we're not getting the rug pulled out from underneath us,'" she said.
She believes all issues brought up that lead to Senate Bill 96's introduction were “fully vetted and addressed” in DNREC’s technical memo about the regulation.
"They've [DNREC] done seven months of listening to people and thinking about this and coming to some very reasoned decisions that I'm in agreement with," she added.
"This is important because the transportation sector contributes so much greenhouse gas emissions and carbon emissions into our atmosphere. This is one big way that we can contribute to reducing carbon in our atmosphere and the effects of climate change," Hansen said.
The Delaware ACC II Program regulations will expire in model year 2033.
