On August 25, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) unanimously approved the Advanced Clean Cars II rule, which “requires all new passenger vehicles sold in California to be zero emissions by 2035.” The new rule also “amends the Low-emission Vehicle Regulations to include increasingly stringent standards for gasoline cars and heavier passenger trucks to continue to reduce smog-forming emissions while the sector transitions toward 100% electrification by 2035.”
CARB defends its decision to outlaw the sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles in just 13 years based on “equity” and “environmental justice.” According to CARB, “environmental justice and equity in Advanced Clean Cars II is multi-faceted.”
Furthermore, CARB claims the rule will substantially benefit “disadvantaged communities.” Per CARB’s website, “the regulation delivers substantial emission reductions to all Californians, with particular benefits to those who live near roadways and suffer from persistent air pollution. The durability and warranty requirements in the regulation will help establish a viable and dependable used ZEV market to ensure the emission benefits are permanent, and the regulation includes an approach that provides credits to automakers for certain actions that increase access to ZEVs by low-income households and people living in disadvantaged communities.”
I wonder if anyone at CARB conducted studies to ascertain whether or not so-called disadvantaged communities have ample interest in purchasing costly EVs? I bet most low-income Californians are much more concerned with sky-high prices for goods and services, rampant crime, a huge increase in the state’s homeless population, and several other things that have much more impact on their daily lives.
But, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Legislature are not concerned with solving those deeply rooted problems. Instead, Newsom, state legislators, and members of CARB are too busy micro-managing the types of vehicles residents of the Golden State can purchase over the coming decades. Perhaps this is why so many people are fleeing the Golden State for greener pastures, no pun intended.
Chris Talgo ([email protected]) is the editorial director and a research fellow at The Heartland Institute, as well as a researcher and contributing editor at StoppingSocialism.com.
