Maine’s Board of Environmental Protection reopened public comments on the Advanced Clean Cars II Program, also known as the “California Rule,” following the delay of its Dec. 21 vote on the rule after a storm caused a power outage.

The public comment period extends until Feb. 5, 2024.

This new rule was proposed to establish motor vehicle emission standards for new passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty vehicles by incorporating the requirements of the California Advanced Clean Cars II regulations, beginning model year 2027.

A major storm on Dec.18 prevented a board vote on whether to adopt the proposed rule and forced any potential adoption beyond the rule's proposed effective date of Jan. 1, 2024. This also prevents the rule from taking effect in time to apply to the 2027 model year. Therefore, the proposed rule has been amended to begin with model year 2028, and the department is now requesting comments from the public concerning this substantive change. The department has also proposed other non-substantive changes to the proposal.