(Watch) Gov. says CT to adopt EPA air standards, but GOP says residents “shouldn’t let their guard down”

For Immediate Release

Sen. Republican Leader Stephen Harding and House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora today welcomed and applauded the governor’s recent public statements that he thinks Connecticut is going to adopt federal clean air emissions standards rather than the extreme California standards.

“We’re glad to see the Governor has arrived at the same point argued by Republicans for months: that shoehorning our state into California’s radical emissions standards just won’t work for Connecticut residents and businesses. While the Governor has indicated he thinks our state is going to end up following the federal clean air standards—an achievable, common sense path we’ve advocated for—residents frustrated by his administration’s attempts to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles shouldn’t let their guard down. The Governor, during his recent CT Politics TV interview, thankfully acknowledged the strong pushback statewide from consumers who want to preserve their right to buy the vehicle they want, but the legislature is filled with individuals who remain intent on handcuffing us to California’s extreme electric vehicle mandate. We remain committed to fighting on behalf of businesses and residents from all walks of life who say they can’t afford the many burdens of that ideological policy push, and we urge Governor Lamont to convince the legislature’s majority Democrats that the federal standard is the way to go.”

Republican lawmakers have been speaking out repeatedly against the California standards and electric vehicle mandates. While Republicans support efforts to protect the environment and to make the air cleaner, they have cited multiple question marks and contradictions surrounding the mandate’s achievability, affordability, and budgetary impact remain serious concerns.