The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday gave California the green light to implement its own, more stringent regulations that will phase out the sale of passenger fossil fuel vehicles and reduce heavy-duty vehicle emissions.
One waiver granted by the EPA allows California to move forward with Advanced Clean Cars II, regulations aimed at achieving 100% sales of zero-vehicle emission options by 2035.
The second waiver for the state's Heavy-Duty Omnibus regulation enables the state to reduce smog-forming emissions and other pollutants from heavy-duty vehicles.
"Clean cars are here to stay. The Biden-Harris Administration reaffirmed what we've known for decades--California can rise to the challenge of protecting our people by cleaning our air and cutting pollution," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a written statement. "With more makes and models available than ever before, millions of Californians have already made the switch to clean cars."
Some have argued the state is not on track to meet its 2035 goal.
Year-to-date sales of light-duty ZEVs through the third quarter stood at 343,213. More than 2.11 million ZEVs have sold in total. ZEVs represent about 25.4% of all light-duty vehicle sales, according to data compiled by the California Energy Commission.
Throughout the country, around 730,000 electric vehicles, including hybrids, were sold during the first half of 2024, according to data from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
The California Air Resources Board has previously said the state should be at 35% ZEV sales in 2026, increasing each year until reaching 100% by 2035.
As of the end of 2023, the most recently available data, the CEC counted a total of 3,784 medium- and heavy-duty ZEVs.
California lawmakers are "disconnected" from the struggles of everyday citizens, Western States Petroleum Association's President and Chief Executive Officer Catherine Reheis-Boyd said in a written statement. She said a pragmatic approach to policymaking should balance both economic and environmental policies.
California's policies will take away customer choice of not only its own residents, but also those of other states, said the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers President and CEO Chet Thompson.
"Contrary to claims on the campaign trail that they would never tell Americans what kinds of cars we have to drive, the Biden-Harris EPA just did exactly that by greenlighting California's ban on sales of all new gas and traditional hybrid vehicles," Thompson said. "EPA's authorization of the California ban and California's ban itself are unlawful. These policies will harm consumers--millions of whom don't even live in California--by taking away their ability to buy new gas cars in their home states and raising vehicle and transportation costs."
Last week the Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge brought by fuel industry associations and energy producers against the 2022 EPA decision that restored California's authority to set its own vehicle emission standards.
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--Reporting by Bayan Raji, [email protected]; Editing by Michael Kelly, [email protected]