According to published comments released earlier this week, Gov. Matt Meyer will direct the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) to strike regulations mandating zero-emission vehicle sales in Delaware. As detailed in an article by WHYY reporter Cris Barrish, Gov. Meyer is quoted as stating: “I’m not a strong believer in government mandates on consumers. The mechanism we take has yet to be determined, but I’m assuring Delawareans that the electric vehicle mandate will not go into effect.” The controversial sales mandate is the result of rules adopted in late 2023, despite massive public opposition. Over 94% of the more than 4,400 citizen comments received by state environmental regulators opposed restricting the delivery of new fuel-powered vehicles to Delaware car dealers. At present, the rules are still set to go into effect a year from this fall, the start of the Model Year 2027. Initially, 43% of new cars and trucks sent from manufacturers to Delaware dealerships would be required to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), primarily electric vehicles. The percentage would increase annually, reaching 82% by 2032. While public opposition failed to stop the mandate, Delawareans did make their will felt through tepid demand. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, at the start of last year, the total number of electric, plug-in hybrid electric, and hybrid electric cars, trucks, and SUVs registered in Delaware was less than 5% of the total number of gasoline and diesel light-duty vehicles. Given the uncertain consumer demand, many automotive retailers, including those represented by the National Automotive Dealers Association, worried that the regulation would saddle them with increasingly large numbers of electric vehicles that too few people wanted to buy. House and Senate Republican legislators have been fighting the EV sales mandate since it was proposed, citing numerous concerns, including the higher average purchase cost of electric vehicles, their hidden environmental impact, and the lack of charging infrastructure--especially for urban residents and those living in apartments and condominiums. State Rep. Lyndon Yearick (R-Camden, Wyoming) sponsored pending legislation that would have eliminated the EV mandate, while still observing federal clean air regulations. However, the bill has been bottled up in committee in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. State House Republican Whip Jeff Spiegelman (R-Townsend, Smyrna, Clayton) said he was glad to hear the governor's statement, but that he'd wait to see the regulation repealed before complimenting the chief executive on his prudence. "Our people have been banging the drum for years about this issue," Rep. Spiegelman said. "We've supported our constituents and small business operators who told state officials they did not want this mandate placed around their necks like some sort of electric albatross. We've cited credible data and presented dozens of well-supported arguments about the challenges this would pose for working families, dealerships, and our electricity distribution system. The response from too many of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle has been to reject objective reality for their own wishful, subjective version. Hopefully, this mandate will be repealed. We'll see."