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Hearings held this week on proposed electric vehicle mandates
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Public and private officials on Tuesday gathered for the second day of public hearings regarding clean car rules aimed at increasing the number of zero-emission vehicles in the state, a move that has created division among lawmakers.
The hearings, expected to finish Wednesday, will be followed by a vote by two boards that can turn those rules into law. The participating boards that will vote on implementing the rules are the state鈥檚 Environmental Improvement Board and the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board.
The rules 鈥� which include the advanced clean cars II, advanced clean trucks and heavy-duty omnibus 鈥� have been pitched by supporters as a way to create a cleaner environment in the state by upping the delivery of passenger vehicles to the state that are labeled as zero-emission, such as electric or hybrid vehicles.
The goal of the proposed rules is to mandate the state import an increasing number of new electric vehicles to the state each year, beginning for model year 2027, until 82% of new vehicles are electric or electric hybrid by model year 2032.
The advanced clean trucks rule would set similar rules for the delivery of new vehicles like cargo vans, delivery trucks and transit buses, said Claudia Borchert, the New Mexico Environment Department鈥檚 climate change bureau chief.
The heavy-duty omnibus, she added, would improve the emissions and life of heavy-duty trucks.
鈥淚t does that by having very stringent reduction in nitrogen oxides. 鈥� It also does this by having increased warranty requirements for trucks; it has a stricter testing procedure of trucks, so making sure that the trucks, by having to meet different testing procedures, are cleaner,鈥� Borchert said.
During Tuesday鈥檚 hearing, legislators spoke for and against the proposed clean car rules.
Sen. Bill Tallman, D-Albuquerque, spoke in support of implementing the rules, saying electric vehicles require 鈥渧ery little maintenance.鈥� He also accused the Journal鈥檚 editorial board 鈥� as well as auto dealers and the industry at large 鈥� of promoting 鈥渕isinformation鈥� and publishing op-eds that discourage the sale of EVs.
Other legislators, like Sen. George Mu帽oz, D-Gallup, called the proposed rules a 鈥渒nee-jerk reaction鈥� while adding that 鈥渨e all understand we鈥檙e headed down this path.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 disagree that we鈥檙e heading down this direction. I just wish that we鈥檇 slow it down and let the consumers decide what鈥檚 going to happen,鈥� he said.
Rep. Greg Nibert, a Roswell Republican, told the board Tuesday that the proposed rules do not make sense for rural areas of the state. He said non-urban areas of New Mexico don鈥檛 have the infrastructure, such as charging stations, in place to meet the potential demand that the rules would bring.
