When President Trump announced plans to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord, Gov. Dannel Malloy of Connecticut responded that his state would continue its push to reduce its carbon footprint. “Connecticut has been a national leader in combating climate change,” he declared. “We have no plans of slowing down our efforts.”

Yet Connecticut is a surprising laggard when it comes to one obvious way to cut carbon emissions: Consumers are not allowed to buy electric vehicles without a costly middleman. Connecticut is one of at least six states that bans carmakers — including Tesla, the nation’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles — from opening their own storefronts and selling their cars directly to consumers.

With cities and states moving to the forefront of the climate battle as the federal government steps back, even small regulatory changes, like allowing carmakers to sell electric vehicles directly to the public, could have an outsize impact.

Although Tesla can already sell directly to consumers in neighboring New York and Massachusetts, Connecticut is an especially alluring market. Long known for its clusters of wealth (it was the top-ranked state last year in per capita income), Connecticut has pledged to put around 155,000 “zero-emission” vehicles (including electric cars and hybrids) on the road by 2025. To reach that goal, Connecticut offers rebates of up to $3,000 for anyone who purchases or leases a green car, and hosts about 300 charging stations.