ASSOCIATED PRESS • December 21, 2020
The governors of three New England states and the mayor of Washington, D.C., signed a regional pact aimed at dramatically reducing transportation pollution while leaving time for states skeptical of the effort — including Maine — to sign on as well. The Transportation and Climate Initiative Program is designed to reduce motor vehicle emissions by at least 26 percent by 2032. Gov. Janet Mills said that one of her main hesitations was what she saw as a lack of specificity, saying it was still a “theory.” She cited “continuing concerns” about potential effects on the price of gas, an issue she said would burden low-income Mainers. “We have the most dispersed population of any state in the country,” she said.