SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — Rekindling the state’s fight against climate change after a spate of monumental wildfires have left Californians breathing ash and smoke for weeks, Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday outlawed the sale of new gas and diesel cars starting in 2035.
Newsom cast the crackdown on traditional cars and trucks as the “most impactful step” the state can take to stave off global warming. The Democratic governor pinned gasoline-powered cars as being responsible for the state’s notoriously smoggy air and said automakers will have to switch to zero-emissions models to remain in California’s lucrative market.
“You deserve to have a car that doesn’t give your kids asthma,” Newsom said. “Our cars shouldn’t make wildfires worse — and create more days filled with smoky air. Cars shouldn’t melt glaciers or raise sea levels threatening our cherished beaches and coastlines.”
The move was announced as part of a sweeping executive order that also requires commercial trucking companies to convert their fleets to zero-emissions vehicles by 2045 “where feasible.” Newsom is further tasking lawmakers to enact a ban on new hydraulic fracturing — fracking — permits by 2024 and asks for new regulations to protect people living near active oil wells.
Wednesday’s order comes as California is locked in dozens of environmental lawsuits with the Trump administration, including a high-profile fight over the state’s ability to enact tough emissions and mileage standards.
Coming after the tool that enabled California to reduce smog for decades, the Trump administration stunned state officials and environmentalists in August 2018 when it proposed rolling back Obama-era vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards that were intended to nearly double passenger vehicle’s fuel economy and halve their carbon emissions by 2025.
With lawsuits pending in the District of Columbia, California’s longstanding ability to force automakers to produce cleaner, more efficient cars is on the ropes. But in the meantime, the state has hedged its legal battles by reaching agreements with five major automakers to continue producing cleaner and more electric cars, even if the courts side with the federal government.
Newsom, who inherited the fight over mileage standards from his predecessor Jerry Brown, has often accused the Trump administration of “environmental vandalism.” He thanked companies like Ford and Honda for siding with the state and warned the other major manufacturers backing Trump’s rollback will be on the wrong side of history.
“One thing we know: the trends are in the direction of zero-emissions vehicles,” Newsom said, noting countries like China, India, Germany and the United Kingdom have enacted clean car goals. “If you are an American manufacturer, how can you compete globally?”
Standing in front of a row of new Honda, Audi, Ford and Tesla electric models, Newsom said dumping gas guzzlers represents a “limitless” economic opportunity for a state currently mired in a $54 billion deficit.
Newsom claimed the state already has five times as many “green jobs” as oil industry jobs and 34 electric vehicle manufacturers in the state, making California the prime candidate to host and capitalize on the electric vehicle boom.
“This is an economic opportunity; the opportunity to transform our economy across sectors and the opportunity to accelerate innovation and the entrepreneurial spirt,” Newsom said in Sacramento.
According to state data, the transportation industry contributes over 40% of the state’s annual greenhouse gas emissions and contributes 80% of the pollutants known to cause the smog that notoriously plagues places like Los Angeles and the Central Valley throughout the year. Newsom and the California Air Resources Board predict the 15-year phaseout will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35%.
The executive order builds on decisions made in recent months by the board, including the nation’s first electric commercial truck standards and anti-smog laws for the shipping and transportation industries.