Delaware Republican legislators have introduced a bill that would bar the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control from ordering a ban on the sale of the vast majority of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035.
A hearing on the bill is slated for Wednesday. Click here for online access or to comment. The electric vehicle bill was been assigned to the Senate Environment, Energy & Transportation Committee in the Senate.
DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin is nearing a decision on whether to proceed with the rule that will go into effect in several states.
The California rule would require that 80% of vehicles sold in the state to be battery-electrics, with the remainder plug-in hybrids with small internal combustion engines.
Republicans have been holding town halls around the state and making other moves to mobilize opposition, pointing to polling indicating that a majority of state residents are against the rule. They also complained about a virtual public hearing held by DNREC not being held in a public setting.
DNREC defended the format, noting that all sides had a chance to offer their views.
The Republican-sponsored bill may be largely symbolic, given the meager ranks of Republican legislators in the General Assembly unless a dwindling number of moderate Democrats join in opposition.
The GOP is down to a couple of House members north of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, with all state Senators residing south of the canal.
The state GOP saw a recent shakeup with recent Attorney General candidate Julianne Murray beating out former Attorney General and Judge Jane Brady for the post of party chair. Murray, a Seaford Lawyer, listed the California rule and handgun permitting as two of her priorities.
