Conn. proposes new clean air car and truck emissions standards

Connecticut plans to enact new emissions regulations that would require all new passenger vehicle sales to be electric vehicles by 2035.

Gov. Ned Lamont and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection made the announcement Wednesday morning in New Haven.

The new regulations would also cut tailpipe emissions from cars, SUVs, and trucks beginning in 2027.

The move would bring Connecticut in line with California emission standards.

Connecticut joins Rhode Island, Maryland, New Jersey, and New Mexico in announcing plans to adopt new emissions standards, according to the governor. Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont have already announced plans to update their standards.

“Connecticut and our neighboring states are taking decisive action to meet our climate pollution reduction targets,” Gov. Lamont said. “Cars and trucks represent the largest air pollution sector in our state and these regulations are moving in coordination with commitments made by vehicle manufacturers to go all in on electrification.”

Included in the new regulations will be new emissions requirements for medium and heavy-duty vehicles. Those vehicle types include tractor-trailers, dump trucks, garbage trucks and other larger vehicles.

Tailpipe emissions for those vehicles will be required to be reduced by 75-percent by 2032, according to Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes.

Criticism from state Republicans was swift.

"The wholesale elimination of gas-powered vehicles by 2035 is a policy decision that a majority of Americans don't agree with, yet Democrats here, using scary words such as 'survival,' aggressively insist on forcing Connecticut down California's ideological regulatory rabbit hole no matter the financial cost to our state or the people who live here," House Republican leader Rep. Vincent Candelora said in a statement. "Promoting government-backed rebates, vouchers, and incentives, they continue to mask the issue of affordability of these vehicles while also downplaying the titanic effort to build out our charging infrastructure."

A spokesperson for the trucking industry in Connecticut said the timeline is too fast and that ultimately, consumers are the ones who will be affected.

“From our perspective this is way too fast, the expediency of it will ultimately result in consumers paying that price. What I mean by that, is any cost that is incurred to our business or our carriers, unfortunately has to be passed to consumers,” Motor Transport Association of Connecticut President John Blair said.

Connecticut drivers weighed the pros and cons of the proposed standards.

“It would benefit our air quality but it wouldn’t benefit people who don’t make enough money to buy a car like that,” said Noelle Garcia, of Manchester.

The DEEP will hold a public hearing on the proposed regulations on Aug. 22. The agency will accept comments from the public until Aug. 23.

Candelora urged residents and business owners to make their voices heard about the proposed changes.