ASSOCIATED PRESS • December 26, 2023
The rollout of potential regulations to drastically cut gas-powered vehicle sales in Maine has been pushed back by a year because environmental regulators had to delay a key vote after a storm caused widespread power outages. The Board of Environmental Protection postponed its Dec. 21 vote and won’t reconvene before year’s end. The delay means the proposed rules must be amended to go into effect for vehicles in the 2028 model year instead of the 2027 model year, and must also be reopened for public comment. The original proposal would eventually require 82% of new vehicles sold to be considered zero-emission by the 2032 model year. Critics of the environmental regulations were happy to get a second chance to weigh in. Additional public comments are allowed through Feb. 5.