Storm Delays High-Stakes Vote On Maine's Sweeping Electric Vehicle Mandate: Is the Green Energy Agenda At Risk?

The decision came in the wake of a severe storm that led to widespread power outages across the state.

The BEP, a leading state environmental agency, announced the indefinite delay of the meeting, originally scheduled for a Thursday afternoon. The announcement followed a state of emergency declaration by Democratic Maine Governor Janet Mills due to the storm. This emergency status led to the closure of state government offices.

"Governor Janet Mills declared a State of Civil Emergency for 14 Maine counties following a significant wind and rain storm that has left hundreds of thousands of people without power and that has caused significant flooding and infrastructure damage, including to town and state roadways," the Maine BEP said in a statement.

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The statement further read, "In consideration of the challenges facing Maine citizens who may wish to participate in the upcoming Board meeting in Augusta, the Board is postponing its meeting scheduled for December 21, 2023."

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December 22, 2023

Bill Hinkel, a spokesperson for the BEP, confirmed that the agency was actively working on the next steps for the delayed meeting.

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The storm, which hit Maine on Monday, resulted in the deaths of at least two men and left over 400,000 residents without power. The aftermath of the storm saw businesses and schools shutting down, as workers scrambled to restore power and clear roads.

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In late October, the BEP, whose mandate includes preventing, abating, and controlling pollution in the state, approved the Advanced Clear Car Program. This program, modeled after California's regulations, mandates that over 40% of new car purchases in the state be electric by 2027 and 82% by 2032. The agency was expected to finalize this mandate during the postponed meeting.

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However, the proposal has faced significant bipartisan opposition from state lawmakers, including Republicans and House Democrat Rep. Jared Golden. Golden pointed out that a severe storm could render electric vehicles useless due to their reliance on reliable electricity generation and supplies.

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"Earlier this year, I submitted testimony in opposition to such a mandate and have taken every opportunity in Congress to vote against policy that amounts to de facto electric vehicle mandates," Golden stated. "Forcing Mainers to purchase cars and trucks powered by electricity when our grid is insufficient, charging stations are few and far between, and a storm like yesterday’s would render 80% of cars useless is, to say the least, ill-advised."

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State Republican leaders have consistently criticized the proposal, arguing that it is unrealistic and would only lead to higher consumer costs.

Maine state House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham said, "The truth is this plan isn’t feasible because of Maine’s geography and infrastructure. It is about freedom of consumer choice. I hope the BEP will abandon this horrible idea before it ruins the Maine economy."

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Critics of aggressive EV requirements have warned that the U.S. power grid is currently unequipped to handle the significantly increased demand and load that would be generated by widespread EV adoption. They have also argued that power outages, triggered by both storms and low supplies, could render large swaths of an electrified transportation sector useless.

Myron Ebell, the director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute's Center for Energy and Environment, previously told Fox News Digital, "As everybody moves to EVs, if it happens, the only way to do it is to find more baseload power and dispatchable power."