California plans to end sales of new gas-powered cars by 2035; Brown applauds move
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will halt sales of new gasoline-powered passenger cars and trucks by 2035, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday, a move he says will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 35% in the nation’s most populous state.
The proposed rule would not ban people from owning gas-powered cars or selling them on the used car market. But it would end the sales of all new gasoline-powered passenger cars and trucks in the state of nearly 40 million people.
“Pull away from the gas pumps,” Newsom said. “Let us no longer be victims of geopolitical dictators that manipulate global supply chains and global markets.”
California and the roughly dozen states that follow its lead on auto emissions standards make up a significant part of the U.S. auto market, giving the day’s move huge potential impact for the U.S. automobile industry as well as for long-term efforts against pollution and climate change, which is driven by fossil-fuel emissions. It also is likely to meet opposition from President Donald Trump, who wants to roll back tougher Obama-era auto emissions standards and is battling California to force it to comply.
California already has rules mandating a certain percentage of new car sales must be electric or zero-emission vehicles. This rule, if implemented, would make California the first U.S. state with a plan to phase them out completely.
At least 15 other countries have already made similar commitments, including Germany, France and Norway.
Newsom’s order directs the California Air Resources Board to develop and approve regulations to meet the 2035 deadline. He also ordered them to make a rule requiring all medium and heavy-duty trucks be 100% zero-emission vehicles by 2045 “where feasible.”
Newsom also directed state agencies to speed up development of charging stations across the state and called on the Legislature to eliminate new fracking licenses by 2024.
Read more at: https://apnews.com/4956d87b72b000a917eed27392d16d8b
Governor Kate Brown Issues Statement on California Zero-Emission Vehicle Announcement
(Portland, OR) — Governor Kate Brown today issued the following statement on Governor Gavin Newsom's announcement that California will require all new passenger vehicles to emit zero emissions by 2035:
"From pick-up trucks to minivans, the future of vehicles in this country is electric. I'm proud to say that, in Oregon, we have already set ambitious goals for increasing the number of zero-emission vehicles on our roads. And, as the chair of the Western Governor’s Association, I have launched the Electric Vehicles Roadmap Initiative with my fellow governors to lay out the path to the adoption of zero-emission technology, from consumer incentives and tax exemptions to building the electric vehicle infrastructure we will need across the West.
“These are ambitious goals that we can only meet if we all work together. I have faith in the ingenuity of the auto manufacturing industry to rise to this challenge, so that the next generation of electric cars, vans, trucks, and SUVs will have the range and capability to handle even the toughest conditions our rural Oregon roads can throw at them, and that they are accessible to all communities and income levels. With the impacts of climate change all around us—including a more intense and destructive wildfire season than any in recent memory––we must meet this challenge.
"The transportation sector is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon and pollutants from diesel and gasoline combustion pose immediate public health risks for our most vulnerable communities in Oregon. We cannot adequately address climate change without moving to zero emission vehicles.
“Today’s executive action by Governor Newsom is an impressive, transformative step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, and it comes at a pivotal moment when we are seeing firsthand along the West Coast how important it is to do everything we can to protect our environment and act on climate change.
"We have heard loud and clear from Oregon’s youth that climate action is their top priority—and it is the next generation that will pay the greatest price if we fail to answer their call. When zero-emission vehicles are widely used, we can support economic development, public health, and the environment all at the same time. I will be following the California requirement and looking into policies here in Oregon to accelerate transportation electrification."
