California is leading the way in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. New cars powered by fossil fuels will be banned by the Empire State.
Incentivizing New Yorkers, local governments, and businesses to make the transition to electric vehicles is one of the actions we have taken. The new policy directive will benefit our climate and the health of our communities for generations to come according to Governor Kathy Hochul.
The regulatory step will allow New York to get closer to its 85% emissions reduction goal.
In a single year, transportation pumped 106.92 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere. If the power grid transitions away from fossil fuels, the emissions should be reduced.
Hochul spoke at a press conference in White Plains on Thursday about her plans for a gas-free New York. The regulation will be phased in.
New light-duty vehicles will be required to be electric by the year 2026. The percentage will increase to 70% by the year 2030. The EV mandates are accompanied by new pollution standards for gas powered vehicles.
The move to an all-electric school bus fleet across New York is one of the policies included. $10 million will be added to the Drive Clean Rebate program, which offers an incentive of up to $2,000 for people to purchase electric cars. Hochul said that New York has issued more than 78,000 refunds.
Hochul said there were no more excuses to not purchase an EV. We are not going down that road anymore. Although the upfront costs of purchasing an EV are still relatively high, that cost is dropping, and some assessments have found that electric cars are cheaper to maintain and own than their gas counterparts
Hochul wasn't content to let the West Coast take all the credit for the policy that was enacted in California. The gas-ban goal was signed by the governor. She had to wait for California to take a step because they had to go first.
Changing from gas-powered vehicles to electric ones could have public health benefits. State Senator Pete Harckham said in Thursday's press conference that Westchester is a non-attainment zone for the clean air act. Air pollution is a serious problem. Car exhaust is a large contributor in New York.
At a time when we desperately need gas-powered cars and fossil fuel dependence to die out, New York's announcement is exciting. Personal EV aren't a perfect fix. There are questions about how the current supply of necessary materials will be able to meet the growing demand. Even though climate change is less pressing than mining, all that mining has is its own environmental costs. Hochul didn't address additional state funding for public transit expansion
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