Latest news with #ACCII
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
DEP delays electric vehicle sales requirements for two years
BOSTON (SHNS) – The Healey administration said Friday it will not enforce minimum electric vehicle sales requirements for model years 2026 and 2027, administratively taking a step that lawmakers have repeated sought to force legislatively. Under the Advanced Clean Cars II regulation that Massachusetts adopted following California's lead in 2023, vehicle manufacturers are supposed to produce and make available for sale a gradually-increasing percentage of zero-emission vehicles starting at 35% in model year 2026, rising to 43% in model year 2027 and eventually hitting 100% in model year 2035 and beyond. The Department of Environmental Protection said Friday that it 'will exercise enforcement discretion' for model years 2026 and 2027 and declared that 'manufacturers shall not withhold internal combustion vehicles from car and truck dealerships seeking those vehicles.' MassDEP has similarly deferred enforcement of related minimum electric truck sales requirements. 'EVs should be the most affordable and clean option for cars,' Gov. Maura Healey said. 'We're giving carmakers more runway to invest in their manufacturing and supply chains, which will help ensure customers have additional affordable electric vehicles options at dealerships in the future. Massachusetts will continue to invest in charging infrastructure to support the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.' Delaying implementation of the ACC II regulations has been a topic of amendments filed to the spending bills that have been moving between the House and Senate recently. This week, Millbury Sen. Michael Moore withdrew his budget amendment to delay implementation for two years but highlighted what he said would be devastating economic consequences of keeping the rules in place when both demand for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure lag previous expectations. 'By enforcing this rule, manufacturers will have to artificially manipulate vehicle inventory to force more zero-emission vehicles into the state while reducing the number of gas-powered vehicles available,' Moore said. 'Looking at last year, 280,000 new vehicles were sold in Massachusetts. To artificially meet the 35% threshold, there would have to be a reduction of 198,000 gas-powered vehicles, representing a $9 billion reduction in economic activity in Massachusetts.' Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr called for a two-year delay to the ACC II regulation Thursday afternoon in a speech on a Senate budget amendment that was ultimately sunk. 'Number one, the electric grid is not ready to handle it. And number two, the demand for these vehicles has not proven to be as robust as we had hoped, and consumer uptake is not nearly where it would need to be to comply with those regulations,' he said. Environmental advocates slammed the MassDEP decision Friday. Environmental League of Massachusetts Legislative Director David Melly said the organization is 'disappointed to see Massachusetts walk back its commitment to Advanced Clean Cars II, causing delays that will harm our communities and the environment.' 'We know that timely progress on electrification of vehicles reduces both transportation emissions and healthcare costs. Our state leaders must step up to fill the gap this policy leaves behind, including firm commitments to expanding charging infrastructure statewide and addressing vehicle pollution in overburdened areas,' he said. Healey's office said it will 'soon announce dedicated additional grant funding for the purchase or lease of electric vehicles for publicly owned fleets, electric school buses, waste collection vehicles, and other vocational vehicles.' It also previewed an announcement related to 'enhanced future grant funding opportunities for existing programs that support medium- and heavy-duty vehicle charging, charging at multi-unit dwellings and educational campuses, charging at workplaces and for commercial fleets, and publicly accessible charging stations through the MassEVIP program.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Engadget
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Engadget
Senate votes to kill California's gas-powered vehicle restrictions
The United States Senate voted 51-44 mostly across party lines on Wednesday to repeal a waiver granted by the Biden administration's Environmental Protection Agency , allowing the state of California to enact its Advanced Clean Cars II Regulations . ACC II requires that 80 percent of new passenger vehicles sold in California by 2035 be zero-emission. Notably, the legitimacy of the vote itself was dubious, as the Senate parliamentarian — a nonpartisan staffer who helps the Senate understand its own rules — had warned that the waiver did not fall under the Senate's purview. The parliamentarian noted that the EPA waiver wasn't a formal rule but an administrative order. This means the waiver is not subject to the Congressional Review Act (CRA), the law Senate Republicans used to justify the vote. The CRA only became law in 1996, and had seen little use until recently — it has been used to overturn federal rules a total of 20 times, 16 of which occurred during the previous Trump administration. The measure will now go to President Trump's desk for signature, as the House already passed legislation to repeal the waiver earlier this month. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a DC lobbying group that represents a number of automakers including GM, Toyota, Volkswagen and Hyundai, celebrated the vote. "These EV sales mandates were never achievable," said John Bozzella , president and CEO of the lobbying group. He argued, "Meeting the mandates would require diverting finite capital from the EV transition to purchase compliance credits from Tesla." While these automakers rejoiced, environmental protection advocates struck a concerned tone. "It's deeply disappointing that the Senate used the Congressional Review Act to block states from implementing air pollution standards to improve air quality. This illegitimate move poses threats to public health, the economy and states' rights." said Steven Higashide , director of the Clean Transportation Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists . As reported in the L.A. Times , Will Barrett, senior director at the American Lung Association and a clean air advocate said, 'This is a major blow to the decades-long public health protections delivered under the Clean Air Act.' Highlighting the importance of these waivers he said 'It is more important than ever that California and all other states that rely on Clean Air Act waivers continue to cut tailpipe pollution through homegrown, health-protective policies." This is just the latest in continued efforts by the current administration to curtail or end legislation that supports or encourages wider adoption of electric vehicles and environmental protection .
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Senators use budget stage to preview priorities
BOSTON (SHNS) – Senators churned through nearly 330 amendments during a 150-minute first shift of work on the fiscal 2026 state budget and largely sidestepped off-budget issues that could have elicited greater debate. When senators broke for lunch around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, they had adopted 153 amendments, rejected 75 others and withdrew 101 ideas from consideration. Additional 'bundles' were voted on soon after the Senate returned at 1:30 p.m. — a collection of 54 amendments was adopted and another of 54 amendments was rejected. After passing a few amendments highlighted by President Karen Spilka in a pre-session press scrum, senators went on a run of withdrawing policy amendments in favor of other advocacy avenues, rather than trying to force the issues in the Senate budget. Sen. Michael Moore advocated for and then withdrew his pitch to delay the implementation of minimum electric vehicle sales requirements, a topic that came up during the House budget debate as well, saying he recognized 'the bill we are taking up today is not focused on this policy.' Under the Advanced Clean Cars II regulation that Massachusetts adopted following California's lead in 2023, vehicle manufacturers must produce and make available for sale a gradually-increasing percentage of zero-emission vehicles starting at 35% in model year 2026. 'By enforcing this rule, manufacturers will have to artificially manipulate vehicle inventory to force more zero-emission vehicles into the state while reducing the number of gas-powered vehicles available,' the Millbury Democrat said. 'Looking at last year, 280,000 new vehicles were sold in Massachusetts. To artificially meet the 35% threshold, there would have to be a reduction of 198,000 gas-powered vehicles, representing a $9 billion reduction in economic activity in Massachusetts.' Also Tuesday, a coalition of 16 chambers of commerce and business organizations sent a letter to Gov. Maura Healey asking her to delay implementation of the ACC II rules, similar to action her administration has already taken related to similar mandates for truck sales. 'The fact is that even with the Commonwealth's aggressive efforts to encourage EV sales over the last several years, we are still short of goals. In 2024, approximately 14% of new vehicle sales in Massachusetts were ACC II compliant,' the coalition wrote. It added, 'These below-expected levels of demand make clear that many Massachusetts drivers do not consider EVs a practical or affordable purchase at the scale needed to satisfy the current timeline in this mandate. A primary concern is the lack of public charging infrastructure. In their 2024 Massachusetts Climate Report Card, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) reported that less than half the number of needed public EV charging stations have been installed.' The coalition includes the National Federation of Independent Business, Retailers Association of Massachusetts, Cape Cod Canal Regional Chamber of Commerce, Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, Metro South Chamber of Commerce, Neponset River Regional Chamber of Commerce, United Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council. Sen. Patrick O'Connor did the same with his amendment to move towards a single statewide inspection and permitting process for food trucks, eliminating the patchwork of differing municipal processes. He said he will focus his efforts instead on the standalone legislation he filed to the same end. 'We've seen too many times over and over again, with different businesses and different industries that have grown here in Massachusetts, that we don't do enough to foster their growth. And this is something so simple — that we're basically taking the control from a local municipality and putting it into a statewide umbrella, asking the Department of Public Health to promulgate regulations that will be one standard regulation for food trucks,' the Weymouth Republican said. In her maiden speech in the Senate Chamber, Sen. Kelly Dooner of Taunton gave a preview of an issue that could spark greater debate as the budget debate goes on: the zoning requirements of the MBTA Communities Act. Her remarks focused on the burdens small communities like those she represents — Carver, Berkley and Rehoboth among them — face as they try to comply with the multi-family zoning mandate. 'I ask you, and I will continue asking you, for as long as I'm here, to have some compassion for those communities that are smaller, whether it's an extension, whether it's revisiting the conversation, both of which I believe need to happen, but anything to help our small adjacent communities that do not have the infrastructure to comply,' the first-term Republican said. She added, 'I just ask for your help in stopping the one-size-fits-all plan. And let's be partners to our municipalities, not the enemies that we have become known as by this MBTA Communities Act.' One of the MBTA Communities Act-related amendments highlighted by Dooner, O'Connor's bid to exempt so-called adjacent communities from the mandate, was rejected by the Senate without discussion. The others — amendments 12, 13, 140, 147, 296, 297 and 298 — remained pending just before 2 p.m. Tuesday. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
California's ACC II rule: Why it applies to other states, and what it means for the auto industry
The California Air Resources Board passed a regulation in 2022 called Advanced Clean Cars II, or ACC II. It mandates that 35 percent of vehicles an automaker produces and delivers for sale, which can include vehicles wholesaled to dealers and not yet sold to retail customers, in the state for the 2026 model year must be zero-emission (electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles or plug-ins, though PHEVs only receive partial credit). Automakers face fines of up to $20,000 on each noncompliant vehicle, or they can purchase limited available credits from other automakers. Five other states — Oregon, Washington, New York, Massachusetts and Vermont — also follow the requirement starting with the 2026 model year, measuring the percentage of vehicles wholesaled in those individual states. In the 2027 model year, the regulation goes up to 43 percent, and five additional states and Washington, D.C., join at the higher percentage: Colorado, Delaware, New Jersey, New Mexico and Rhode Island. The requirement then rises 8 percentage points per model year until it requires all vehicles sold by an automaker in each state be ZEV in the 2035 model year and beyond. In April, Maryland's governor delayed enforcement of the rules for that state until the 2029 model year through executive order. ACC II: Are states ready for ZEV mandates? Sign up for our daily First Shift morning newscast email for a quick video to start your day. The mandate is a significant challenge for legacy automakers and their franchised dealers — especially those that have not been as aggressive as others in adding electric vehicles because of slower consumer adoption rates. Dealers within the ZEV states worry that automakers will limit their ability to sell vehicles that aren't EVs to keep their potential penalties down. Dealers in non-ZEV states are likely to see their supplies of EVs and PHEVs greatly reduced, though they should see greater supplies of combustion-powered and hybrid vehicles than they might otherwise. It depends on whom you ask. Dealers in ZEV states worry that the mandates will mean large numbers of lost sales because consumer EV adoption rates greatly lag the mandated wholesale percentages, and automakers may be reluctant to allocate sufficient numbers of the combustion-powered vehicles their customers may want to avoid stiff penalties. They fear consumers will instead buy from dealers in non-ZEV states where those vehicles will be more plentiful. Automakers worry the penalties for noncompliance in each ZEV state are so stiff they would lose money on nearly every combustion-powered vehicle they sold. Meanwhile, those concerned about the environment and air quality fear that industry backsliding on the mandate will further stymie broader adoption of cleaner vehicles and dissuade automakers from improving battery technology, range and other aspects. Automakers, state dealer associations, individual dealers and industry groups are intensely lobbying the Trump administration, Congress and the ZEV states to eliminate or at least ease the mandate or lower the costs of noncompliance. Meanwhile, automakers are preparing their allocation strategies to maximize EV sales in the ZEV states starting this fall if their lobbying efforts fail. Environmental groups are lobbying to keep the mandates in place. Industry news has been dominated by the more immediate threat of tariffs, but the ACC II mandate, which begins grabbing hold in the fall in a number of states, is just as grave and perhaps more difficult to overcome. If consumer choice of new vehicles is limited by regulation only in certain states, will consumers in those states take their business elsewhere? How will dealers in ZEV states react if their new-vehicle sales drop dramatically? Will lobbying efforts bear fruit? Will the whole issue wind up in court? Have an opinion about this story? Tell us about it and we may publish it in print. Click here to submit a letter to the editor.
Business Mayor
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Business Mayor
Goodlander, Pappas Vote to Uphold Ban on Gas-Powered Cars
California's policy mandating a phaseout of all gasoline-powered vehicles is so unpopular, 35 Democrats crossed the aisle and voted to kill it. But none of them were from New Hampshire. Both U.S. Reps. Maggie Goodlander and Chris Pappas voted with a majority of Democrats against rolling back the Biden administration's waiver for California's rule, formally known as Advanced Clean Cars II. While the waiver was requested by California, 17 states and the District of Columbia have adopted some or all of California's emissions standards, including Massachusetts and Vermont. In Massachusetts, using the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) rule defended by Goodlander and Pappas, 35 percent of 2026 model year cars sold by dealers must be electric. By 2035, selling new gasoline-powered cars will be illegal in the Bay State. The Market Institute organized a letter featuring a litany of public policy organizations urging Congress to support H.J. Res 88, authored by Rep. John Joyce (R-Pa.) and 'preserve choice in the automobile market.' 'Mandating EVs amounts to very bad policy that would lead to higher automobile sticker prices, less economic activity, and virtually no consumer choice,' they wrote. Last week, the House voted 246 to 164 to do away with the Biden administration's waiver. Thirty-five Democrats voted with Republicans to block the phaseout of gas-powered vehicles, including Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), and Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio). 'Michigan has a long history of building the cars and trucks that keep America moving, and other states' rules shouldn't affect jobs and operations here at home. As we now prepare to build the cars and trucks of tomorrow, we do so in a way that works — that's practical, attainable, and doesn't cost jobs in the process,' Scholten said after her vote. 'That's why we must give our workers, truckers, and businesses the time and tools necessary to continue growing and adapting to a changing market. I'll keep working to make sure West Michigan's voice is heard in Congress and that our state's economy stays strong.' Larry Behrens, communications director of Power the Future, was glad to see it happen. 'These extreme vehicle rules were never about clean air. Instead, they were a sneaky way to let one state dictate policy for the rest of the country,' Behrens told InsideSources. 'Voters rejected this top-down approach at the ballot box last November, and it's encouraging to see Congress stepping in to restore some sanity.' For decades, California has imposed emissions and other mandates in excess of federal standards, and many states, particularly those with Democratic governments, have chosen to follow California's lead. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) announced in 2020 that the state would ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. This California standard is only possible thanks to waivers from the federal government. The House has now voted to pull the EV mandate waiver. Will the GOP-controlled U.S. Senate do the same? And how would Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen vote? It may not get the chance. The House used the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn the Biden administration's waiver. The CRA allows Congress to review and potentially overturn federal regulations issued by government agencies. Under the CRA, agencies must submit new regulations to Congress and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) before they take effect. Congress has a 60-day window to pass a joint resolution of disapproval, a resolution that only requires a simple majority in the U.S. Senate, not the 60-vote threshold under the filibuster rules. In this case, the GAO has ruled that the Clean Air Act waivers don't fall under the CRA, a position supported by the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough. Senate Republicans are considering challenging either the parliamentarian's ruling or the GAO's claim. Democrats warn that overruling the parliamentarian and passing the CRA resolution with a simple majority could mean the end of the filibuster, which the GOP has long sought to protect. 'We understand that some may be considering overruling the Parliamentarian's decision,' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Senate Democrats wrote to their GOP counterparts. 'While that might be more expedient than agency rulemaking or considering legislation under the Senate's normal rules, such an action would be a procedural nuclear option—a dramatic break from Senate precedent with profound institutional consequences.' Critics of the status quo on Clean Air Act waivers say it allows a single state to limit consumer choice across the country. Behrens said families should have the freedom to choose the cars they want and not be forced into expensive mandates pushed by activists. As a result, Behrens viewed the House vote as a great step toward putting the brakes on runaway government overreach. Environmentalists support the California standard and fear that, without the filibuster, the Senate will easily overturn the waivers, likely with Democratic support. The Sierra Club was asking House members ahead of the vote to say no. Green groups hailed California's first-in-the-nation rule as a big help in the fight against pollution and man-made climate change. Meanwhile, business organizations have praised the House vote and urged the Senate to do the same. 'California's Advanced Clean Cars II will cripple the economy, force families into vehicles they can't afford, and saddle communities with an untenable, impractical edict with which to contend,' said the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). 'We thank (the House) for slamming the door on EV mandates by voting in favor of a Congressional Review Act resolution. Their bipartisan vote will preserve vehicle choice nationwide, particularly at a time when people are keeping vehicles longer, using them to transport their families, and kickstart businesses and careers.'
