Environment

This bill repeals the Delaware Advanced Clean Air Program and adopts the Delaware Low Emissions Program thereby terminating the Electric Vehicle Mandate.

This Act exempts food served in Level IV and Level V correctional facilities from restrictions on the use of polystyrene foam food service packaging. Scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2025, § 3004Q of Title 16 prohibits food establishments from providing ready-to-eat food in polystyrene foam food service packaging. This prohibition would create significant hardships and increase costs for the Department of Correction (“Department”), which uses polystyrene foam food service packaging in the course of providing over 14,000 meals per day to Department inmates.

This Act removes Delaware from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (“RGGI”) as the state has already exceeded its CO2 reduction goals, cutting emissions by 45%. Despite this progress, Delaware faces high electricity costs and slow economic growth, ranking 46th in GDP growth. RGGI compliance costs are passed on to consumers, making energy more expensive for families and businesses. States outside RGGI have maintained lower energy prices while still reducing emissions. Exiting the program will allow Delaware to pursue policies that support both economic growth and energy affordability.

This Act prohibits the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control from promulgating rules and regulations restricting the sale of fuel-powered cars, trucks, and SUVs in Delaware. This Act does not change the emission standards fuel-powered vehicles must currently meet. The provisions of this bill would be retroactive to March 1, 2023.