On Wednesday, the Minnesota Senate held a joint hearing with the Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy and Legacy Committees regarding the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) intention to adopt the California Emission Standards through the administrative rulemaking process.

“This just isn’t how things are done,” Senator Gene Dornink (R-Hayfield) remarked after hearing from the commissioner, “The legislature is here to ensure the best decisions are made for our state. I think this is one case where we need to be consulted. Do we really need more regulations to force us to do what we are already doing?”

By going through administrative processes, the MPCA led by Governor Walz can circumvent the legislature’s input and hold Minnesotans to standards set by legislators of another state. California and Minnesota are very different states with vastly different needs from a personal and environmental standpoint. California has vastly higher pollution emissions as a whole; meanwhile, data shows that Minnesota is already moving towards cleaner and more efficient cars.

The MPCA has begun hosting public information sessions in an effort to impose the California Car Mandate on Minnesotans, scheduled for January 27 and February 2, with more to come later in the month. More information can be found here, and Minnesotans can submit public comments through the Office of Administrative Hearings.