skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Monday, March 18, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

MN Moving Forward With Clean Car Plan, Despite Uncertainty

play audio
Play

Tuesday, February 4, 2020   

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota officials will soon will kick off another public comment period for proposed auto emission standards. The state is hopeful legal decisions and strong opposition won't kill the plan.

Last fall, Gov. Tim Walz announced his Clean Cars initiative, which would require the auto industry to adhere to strict emissions standards already adopted by states such as California. An initial public comment period wrapped up in December, and a second phase could begin next month.

Craig McDonnell, assistant commissioner at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, said whether you like the plan or not, the public has a voice in the process.

"We'll have that public comment period. We'll have a hearing where people can go in front of the administrative law judge and provide comment as well," McDonnell said. "And in addition to that formal comment period, we are still determining how we can best engage the public and let them know the basics of this rule."

One standard would require reducing tailpipe pollution of greenhouse gases. The other would require dealers to offer more electric vehicles.

The Trump administration has challenged the authority of states to adopt the California-style rules. That issue is currently tied up in the courts. And the Minnesota Auto Dealers Association has argued the plan would drive up costs, which eventually would be passed along to customers.

McDonnell said they're receptive to the concerns raised by the auto industry, and want to find common ground with those who have raised them. As for the legal challenge, he said they're moving ahead so that if they're successful, they won't have to play catch-up.

"We want to be ready for when that waiver is restored, that we can move forward with our Clean Cars Minnesota proposal as soon as possible," he said.

The state hopes to wrap up the rule-making process later this year and have the changes in place by December. The Walz administration says it does not need approval from the state Legislature.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Corporate partners sign contracts to offer a graduate assistantship and pay the students. In turn, MSU pays the graduate assistant's tuition, fees and salary, so the assistantship is directly tied to the academic experience. (pressmaster/Adobe Stock)

play sound

By Victoria Lim for WorkingNation.Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi for Missouri News Service reporting for the WorkingNation-Public News Service Col…


Social Issues

play sound

A new report brands Connecticut's tax system as "regressive" for low- to middle-income residents and uses a report from the state to make its point…

Environment

play sound

Backers of a new federal rule said it will increase fairness for livestock and poultry producers, in North Carolina and across the country. The U.S…


A study by the advocacy group Inseparable showed one in five adults said at any given time, they consider their mental health to be either 'fair' or 'poor.' (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Mental health care advocates are encouraging federal agencies to adopt a proposed update to regulations which would expand access to psychological car…

Social Issues

play sound

With hotter summers bringing hotter working conditions, the Maryland Department of Labor is implementing a heat stress standard to protect workers …

Social Issues

play sound

By Jimmy Cloutier for OpenSecrets.Broadcast version by Roz Brown for Texas News Service reporting for the OpenSecrets-Public News Service Collaboratio…

Environment

play sound

Recreational fishermen in New England say commercial trawlers are threatening the survival of smaller businesses relying on a healthy stock of Atlanti…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021