The outgoing head of an influential group of state air regulators says he’s optimistic, despite the Trump administration’s hostility to his organization’s goals of more electric vehicles and less fossil fuels.
“I’m confident the states can pick up the slack,” said Paul Miller, executive director of Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management. After more than seven years in that post, Miller, 64, is retiring, with Friday as his final day on the job.
The Boston-based coalition, known as NESCAUM, is made up of the six New England states, as well as New York and New Jersey. In alliance with California, it’s been leading efforts to curb air pollution from cars and trucks that’s a big reason the New York City metro area — home to some 20 million people — is flunking EPA’s standard for ozone, a lung-damaging compound that’s the main ingredient in smog.
Last March, a 10-state compact comprised mostly of NESCAUM members reported that it had hit its target of putting more 3 million EVs on their roads. The group has also been active in urging stricter emissions standards for conventional vehicles.
