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Dear MMTA Member,
We are pleased to report some good news coming out of today’s Bureau of Environmental Protection meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to hear from DEP staff about the comments submitted relative to the rulemaking that would have Maine adopt the California Advanced Clean Trucks rule (ACT) as well as the CA Advanced Clean Cars II rule (ACC II). There were no opportunities for the public to speak, these were only “deliberative sessions” where the Board members got information and were able to ask questions of staff.
The good news is that after an informal straw poll of BEP Board members present, they have unanimously instructed staff to come back at a future meeting (likely December) with a memo outlining why adopting the ACT in Maine is premature. Despite a formal vote not being taken today, effectively they have signaled their unanimous opposition to Maine adopting the CA ACT rules. When the formal vote happens in December, the rulemaking will be complete and we will have defeated this effort for the second time.
We want to thank each and every MMTA member who submitted comments and offered support. This is a huge win for the trucking industry and an even bigger win for Maine consumers and the Maine economy.
In the not-so-good news department, the informal straw poll on Maine adopting the ACC II rules was not as favorable. Staff has been instructed to respond to commenters and develop a memo outlining the reasons why Maine should adopt the California rules for cars and light trucks, even though that informal vote was not unanimous. While not impacting many commercial trucks, we know there are a lot of MMTA members with light duty car/truck fleets that ACC II would impact, and we will remain engaged on that issue as the process develops.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Brian or Tim.
Thank you,
Brian Parke
MMTA President and CEO
bparke@mmta.com
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