California to Ban the Sale of New Gasoline Cars

California is expected to put into effect on Thursday its sweeping plan to prohibit the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035, a move that could have major effects on the effort to fight climate change.

Under Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, Oge headed the EPA's transportation emissions program. The only government in the world that mandates zero emission vehicles is California. It is not the same as everyone else.

The California Air Resources Board has issued a rule that will require 100 percent of new cars sold in the state to be free of fossil fuel emissions. 35 percent of new passenger vehicles sold in the state need to be zero emissions by the end of the year. By the year 2030., that percentage would increase to 68 percent.

More than a dozen other states follow California's lead when setting their own auto emissions standards, so the restrictions are important.

If we focus on the big, bold steps necessary to stem the tide of carbon pollution, the climate crisis can be solved.

The new climate law was signed last week by the president. The law will invest $370 billion in spending and tax credits on clean energy programs, the largest action ever taken by the federal government. The United States will be able to cut emissions by 40 percent by the end of this decade if the law is enacted. If the world is to avoid the most catastrophic and deadly impacts of climate change, it will need to eliminate U.S. emissions by 2050.

The bill will be coupled with new regulations in order to close the gap. Aggressive state policies will need to be used to reduce emissions that are in line with the science.

The Washington law is one of the world's most important climate change policies, and the new California rule could help take another bite out of the nation's emissions of carbon dioxide, according to experts. New policies in Washington and around the world will be influenced by the new rule.

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At least 12 other states could potentially adopt the new California zero-emissions vehicle mandate relatively soon, and another five states, which follow California's broader vehicle pollution reduction program, are expected to do the same in a year or so. About one-third of the US auto market would be affected by the restrictions on gasoline-vehicle sales if those states followed through.

Since emissions from gasoline-powered vehicles are the top source of planet warming greenhouse-gas pollution, that would have a major effect on addressing climate change.

John Bozzella is the president of the Alliance for automotive innovation, which represents large U.S. and foreign manufacturers. Inflation, charging and fuel infrastructure, supply chains, labor, critical mineral availability and pricing are just some of the external factors that can affect whether or not these requirements are realistic.

He called on the state and federal government to do more to address issues such as the ability to mine critical minerals in the US, the affordability of electric vehicles and equitable access to fast charging.

The governments of Canada, Britain, and at least nine other European countries want to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by the year 2040. The California rule is a concrete mandate.

The global high-water mark for the accelerated transition to electric vehicles will be set by this regulation.

President Biden signed an executive order in Washington last year that called for the government to try to ensure that half of all vehicles sold in the US are electric by the year 2030.

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Mr. Biden wants to make it easier to use electric vehicles in the US. Tax incentives for buyers of new and used electric cars are included in the new climate bill. The EPA strengthened an Obama-era fuel economy rule that was set aside by the Trump administration. It requires passenger vehicles to get 55 miles per gallon by the year 2026.

That national regulation is less ambitious than California's rule coming into effect this week, but it was the Biden administration that gave California legal authority to set auto pollution and mileage rules that are tighter than federal standards.

The new rule can be enacted in California. The new federal standard is expected to be influenced by the California rule.

There is a lot of legal opposition to those plans.

The attorneys general of 17 Republican-led states are trying to get the California Waiver revoked. The lawsuit will be heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Arguments have not been scheduled.