In Dahms calls for videoconferencing to promote legislator participation, Fritz Busch reports for the New Ulm Journal:
District 16 state Sen. Gary Dahms, R-Redwood Falls, called for more transparency in the legislative process at the League of Women Voters New Ulm candidate forum in the City Hall Council Chambers Wednesday.
Dahms is being opposed in the Aug. 9 primary by Republican challenger Larvita McFarquhar of Lynd, but his challenger was absent from the forum. . . .
Dahms said he would like to see Senate and House hearings and votes on environmental bills, including voting against Gov. Tim Walz’s “California cars mandate” proposal to ramp up electric car sales and ban new gas-powered cars in 2035.
“Right now, we’re at the mercy of California standards. I don’t like passing off authority to other states,” Dahms said. “Minnesota, California and New York have tough environmental standards. We don’t have the infrastructure to turn it over that fast.”
That's not exactly what Dahms said about legislative hearings--he said that they had happened, but the rules were put in place by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. One example of a hearing? On March 17, 2022, KNSI radio's Jake Judd reported Lawmakers Wants Minnesota To End California Car Standards:
A Central Minnesota lawmaker wants the state to abandon California clean car standards approved in 2021 by the Governor and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The Consumer Choice of Fuel Act (SF 3065) got a hearing on Wednesday in the Senate’s State Government Finance and Policy and Elections committee. The bill would prohibit any state agency from banning any product in the future based on its fuel choice.
Princeton Senator Andrew Mathews is one of the bill’s authors and says it’s in response to the governor and the MPCA’s push to force dealerships to carry a number of electric vehicles on the lot. . . .
Andrews shared his fears that every gasoline fueled engine-- including lawnmowers and such--would be banned. The article closed with this note: "California has changed its standard and is planning to ban the sale of all gas-powered vehicles by 2035."
We contacted Clean Up The River Environment (CURE) Communication Director and Clean Cars Campaign Coordinator Anne Borgendale for more information about the Clean Car Standards, since Dahms' assertion about the prcoess seemed a bit sketchy. Her reply clarified matters. Second emphasis ours:
No.Requiring all cars sold in California by 2035 is an executive order from Gov. Newsom, not part of their emission standards set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).When MN adopted its Clean Cars rule it meant we were adopting the current emission standards set by CARB. These standards will be updated at some point (I think 2025 or 2027) if MN wants to continue following these updated CA emission standards/clean cars standards we will need to go through a new rulemaking process.Note: If CARB makes any small administrative changes to their current standards those do automatically get applied to MN (this standard practice to stay in compliance with CA's federal waiver). This is part of MADA's lawsuit about Clean Cars.Also, I don't believe MPCA can't just change the percentage of EVs that dealers are required to stock as part of the ZEV requirement of the Clean Cars rule.
. . . The GOP has also warned that following California’s lead will tie Minnesota to a state that is making far more aggressive moves to curb carbon emissions than Walz has advocated for. Lambert said he believes Minnesota opposition to Clean Cars is growing, particularly after California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a ban on sales of new gas-powered cars and trucks by 2035, the toughest rule in the country aimed at reducing auto emissions and promoting electric cars.
Generally, Minnesota has little leeway when adopting the LEV and ZEV standard. The MPCA’s website says Minnesota has to follow California’s standards “verbatim.”
But how Newsom’s order affects Minnesota is complicated. Attorneys at the MPCA say California’s executive action, issued in September, doesn’t change existing vehicle emission regulations that Minnesota’s Clean Car standards would be based on, and it has no immediate effect, according to MPCA spokesman Darin Broton. . . .
The Minnesota Auto Dealers Association has opposed the rulemaking and rules from the get-go, with little progress. The Associated Press reported in Ruling lets Minnesota move forward with ‘clean car’ rules:
Minnesota regulators got a green light Friday to adopt new “clean car” rules without getting approval from the Legislature.
A ruling from an administrative law judge allows the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to move forward with its plan to write new regulations that would require manufacturers to deliver more electric cars and hybrids for sale at Minnesota car lots. The new rules would be similar to those in California and more than a dozen other states, the Star Tribune reported.
Several Republican lawmakers and auto dealers from across the state objected to the proposed rules, arguing that new emission standards should come from the Legislature. But Administrative Law Judge Jessica Palmer-Denig ruled that the agency has clear authority to adopt rules that address air pollution.
Republican lawmakers have opposed the rules since Democratic Gov. Tim Walz first announced plans to adopt them in 2019. Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, of Alexandria, threatened this week to shut down the state’s environmental agencies, including state parks, by blocking an environmental budget unless Walz and the MPCA back down on the new emission rules. . .
Read the judge's decision here.
There's more on that GOP thinking in some of our earlier posts: It's Bill Ingebrigtsen's agenda & he's sticking to it and New low for #mnleg: Senate Republicans to shut down parks, Zoo & more over emission rules.
And June 2021'sStar Tribune: 'Clean cars' rule and environmental funding move forward; hearing at 8:30 a.m
Retirng Alexandria Republican senator Bill Ingebrigtsen seemed nice and not particularly effective. No wonder Dahms wasn't specific about the hearing process.
Here's the YouTube of the New Ulm LWV event. We certainly give him credit for showing up--unlike his primary opponent--but do expect him to be factual. The discussion of the Clean Car standards starts arounf the 12:30 mark
We'll be on the lookout to see if the standards turn up in other races.
Photo: District 16 state Sen. Gary Dahms, R-Redwood Falls, had the stage to himself at a League of Women Voters candidate forum Wednesday in the New Ulm City Council Chambers. New Ulm Journal/Fritz Busch.
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