by Tom Porter MPBN news story After dying out in the 1990s, the electric car is back: That was the message being delivered in downtown Portland this morning. Car dealers, environmental advocates, the energy industry and government officials were all represented at a news conference next to one of Portland’s busiest traffic routes. Maine 1st Read More
Cleaner Cars
States Win Court Fight on Auto Emissions
A judge in Vermont rejects the industry’s claim that stricter rules conflict with federal mileage standards. by Dave Gram, The Associated Press Portland Press Herald news story MONTPELIER, Vt. — Maine, Vermont and other states scored a victory Wednesday in their battle to get automakers to comply with rules aimed at reducing greenhouse gases. A Read More
Statement by NRCM at the opening of the Maine Electric Vehicles Dealership in Falmouth, ME
by Dylan Voorhees, NRCM energy project director Congratulations to Maine Electric Vehicles and welcome to Maine. NRCM is a non-profit with over 10,000 supporters across the state, dedicated to protecting, restoring and conserving Maine’s environment—for today and future generations. Many of us have worked tirelessly to keep Maine’s environment and quality of life strong. As Read More
NRCM Testimony Before the EPA in Washington, DC Regarding Auto Emissions Standards
by Adam Lee My name is Adam Lee and I am president of Lee Automalls located throughout the state of Maine. I am a 3rd generation car dealer; I have been in this business my whole life. I want to thank the EPA for allowing me to speak today. Our company was founded in 1936 Read More
EPA Injects Reality Into Its Auto Mileage Estimates
Portland Press Herald editorial With a belated nod to reality, the Environmental Protection Agency is revamping the way it calculates auto fuel economy to better reflect vehicle performance with lead-footed, comfort-loving American drivers behind the wheel. The new ratings, which will debut on 2008 vehicles, will drop a given model’s estimated city mileage by 12 Read More
California Clean Air Standards Right for Maine
Kennebec Journal editorial In a philosophically incongruous fit of federalism, the EPA may be poised to tell California it doesn’t have the authority to adopt stricter vehicle emission standards than the federal government. At least that’s the way a bipartisan group of senators, including Maine’s Olympia J. Snowe, see it. They’ve written a letter to Read More
Fuel Economy Farce
Bangor Daily News editorial The best that can be said about new vehicle fuel economy rules issued by federal regulators last week is that the largest sport utility vehicles will finally have to meet gas mileage standards, no matter how meager. On the bad side, buried in the voluminous rules is language barring states from Read More
New Mileage Standards Attack States’ Right to Control Pollution
Maine Sunday Telegram editorial The Bush administration’s approach to increasing fuel-efficiency standards, expressed in a new rule published in the Federal Register this week, should come as no surprise. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s ostensible goal is to raise the fleet efficiency of popular but thirsty light trucks, including SUVs. So how come it Read More
Court Rejects (on Procedural Grounds) Carmakers’ Challenge to Maine’s Car Pollution Rule Process
Natural Resources Council of Maine * Conservation Law Foundation The Kennebec County Superior court has denied a request by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to stay Maine’s new clean car standards. The court also refused to send the matter back to the Maine Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) for reconsideration. “This is a good step Read More
