Staff Reports
California stated earlier this month that it would prohibit the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035.
By 2026, 35% of new passenger cars must have zero emissions; by 2030, that percentage rises to 68%.
According to The New York Times:
California is likely to implement its expansive plan to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered automobiles by 2035 on Thursday, a ground-breaking step that could have a significant impact on the fight against climate change and quicken the shift to electric vehicles worldwide.
Margo Oge, an expert in electric vehicles who oversaw the EPA's transportation emissions program under Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, said, "This is huge." The only government in the world that requires zero-emission vehicles will now be California. It is special.
The California Air Resources Board's regulation mandates that by 2035, all new cars sold in the state must be free of the primary greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, up from the current 12 percent. By 2026, 35 percent of new passenger vehicles sold in the state must have zero emissions, according to intermediate goals. By 2030, that would increase to 68 percent.
The absurdity is that Virginia will also be affected.
This is so that Virginia would have to have automotive requirements that are equivalent to those set by the California Air Resources Board, a statute that was passed when Democrats held majority in Virginia.
The GOP was unable to overturn the law once the Democrats lost their majority.
According to The Hill
According to a 2021 state law, Virginia will also be subject to California's recently announced ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars, the office of Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) told The Hill on Monday.
A law forcing the state to follow the same auto standards as those approved by the California Air Resources Board was passed in 2021 by the state General Assembly, where Democrats at the time had majorities in both chambers (CARB). Attempts to overturn the law during this year's legislative session were unsuccessful, despite Democrats losing their majority in the Virginia House of Delegates in 2021.
Virginia will be subject to the new California law that went into effect last week, Miyares spokesperson Victoria LaCivita confirmed to The Hill. The Virginia Mercury broke the news first.
Glenn Youngkin, the governor of Virginia, addressed it and vowed to put a stop to it in a statement.
“In an effort to turn Virginia into California, liberal politicians who previously ran our government sold Virginia out by subjecting Virginia drivers to California vehicle laws. Now, under that pact, Virginians will be forced to adopt that California law that prohibits the sale of gas and diesel-fueled vehicles. I am already at work to prevent this ridiculous edict from being forced on Virginians. California’s out of touch laws have no place in our Commonwealth.”
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on GATEWAY PUNDIT.
