ST PAUL, Minn. — The Walz administration's move to bring more electric vehicles into Minnesota is facing pushback from Republicans at the State Capitol. Simply put, they want the legislature to take charge of setting vehicle emissions standards in Minnesota.
GOP Senator Andrew Mathews of Princeton has a bill that would strip the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, or MPCA, of the power to set vehicle emissions standards.
"This is about getting it back to the constitutional process, where it belongs. This debate belongs in the legislature," Sen. Matthews told colleagues Wednesday when his bill was heard in the Senate State Government Affairs Committee.
Sen. Mathews pointed out that lawmakers are directly accountable to voters through the electoral process, and asserted the public hearing and debates that happen in the legislature are more transparent and accessible to the public than the administrative rule-making process used by the MPCA.
That agency is in the midst of adopting the Clean Cars Minnesota tailpipe emissions rules, which are tougher than federal standards and often referred to as the "California standard" because that state was the first to break away from the national emissions rules.
In addition to reducing greenhouse gases and particulate pollution, the higher standards would compel automakers to sell more more low-emissions and zero-emissions vehicles in Minnesota. Currently, electric vehicles and hybrids account for only 2% of all new vehicles sold in this state.
The legislature in 1967 granted MPCA the power to set emissions standards through a rule-making process, which happens over several years and includes a public comment process after the proposed rules are published.
Once the new rules are revised to reflect public input and finalized, they would apply to model year 2025, which would be offered for sale during 2024.
"What we can say is we know Minnesotans want more cleaner options available in the marketplace," Craig McDonnell of the MPCA told lawmakers during Wednesday's hearing.
McDonnell also tried to dispel false rumors that have been circulating among opponents.
"This does not apply to heavy duty vehicles or farm equipment. It does not require folks to purchase a new vehicle. It doesn't require emissions testing."
The Minnesota Auto Dealers Association has actively campaigned against the new rules and filed an unsuccessful lawsuit to stop it based on premise that only the federal government can set standards. MADA has argued that the automobile market will eventually respond naturally to the increased demand for electric vehicles by offering more models at more competitive prices.
The group has pointed out that pickup trucks are still the hottest selling vehicle in Minnesota, making this state a bad fit for a plan that would change the mix of cars being sold here. Republicans accuse the Walz administration of stepping on the legislature's turf by "legislating" through and executive branch agency.
"Where are they going to be able to go to recover the lost amount of money they're going to taking on their bottom line, as a result of legislative mandates that you and your administration are posing?" Sen. Dave Osmek, a Mound Republican, asked during the hearing.
DFL Sen. Jim Carlson said air quality is a health issue for many, especially in neighborhoods closer to busy transportation corridors with more traffic.
"If there's somebody who has another idea for us to save our climate, to save the people that are breathing in this bad air, I'm all for looking into it," Sen. Carlson remarked.
The committee approved the Mathews bill on a straight party line vote, with all five Republicans voting in favor of it and all three Democrats voting against it. The next stop for the legislation is the Senate Finance Committee, and it will most likely pass the full Senate before the session is over.
During Wednesday's hearing GOP lawmakers questioned MPCA's estimates about how much carbon and particulate pollution would be removed from the air in the next 10 years if the rule goes into place. They also expressed doubts it would have any impact on global temperatures or climate change.
Next Monday, March 15, is the end of the public comment period on the proposed Clean Cars rule. The next day the rebuttal comment period begins.
More information on how the standards would work, and on how to make a comment are available through the MPCA Clean Cars home page at this link.
So far 14 other states have adopted the "California standards" for low-emission vehicles. But McDonnell said Minnesota's standard wouldn't automatically change if California altered its standards in the future.