On September 23, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order banning the sale of most internal combustion engines (ICE) by 2035.
The California ICE ban will impact 16 other states who previously signed on to adopt California’s regulations under Section 177 of the Clean Air Act. Today non-profit organizations from 15 of those states launched a new coalition to oppose these California style regulations and ICE bans in their states. The coalition authored an open letter which may be found by clicking here. The letter is being shared in the various states with elected officials, the media, activists, members, small businesses, and civic minded people. In Massachusetts, the letter is being mailed to the Governor, Lt. Governor and all the members of the Massachusetts legislature.
The new coalition of non-profit organizations represent citizens and businesses in all states that will be impacted by California Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order to phase out and eventually ban the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035. Under the order, only Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) may be sold by 2035. California is the only state in the country that may promulgate their own vehicle emission regulations, but 16 other states have adopted the California Air Resources Board (CARB) program. The 16 states are New York (implementation 1993), Massachusetts (1995), Vermont (2000), Maine (2001), Pennsylvania (2001), Connecticut (2008), Rhode Island (2008) Washington (2009), Oregon (2009), New Jersey (2009), Maryland (2011), Delaware (2014), Colorado (2022), Minnesota (2025), Nevada (2025) and Virginia (2025). All impacted states should be troubled by the nature of Governor Newsom’s executive order. Lawmakers from these 16 states would be stripped of the right and responsibility to represent their constituents. Consumers would be deprived of options. Significant discrepancies exist between extreme emission reduction plans and the realities they would produce in the other states. Many of the states that originally joined California, did so with the understanding that they would be following best practices for efficiencies, not blanket bans of vital products.
“These extreme California regulations would ban the sale of these products in all of the New England states, except New Hampshire. New Hampshire would become the beneficiary of this ill-considered proposal, as residents and businesses would flock to their state for its lower costs and larger array of options. Unlike the major population centers of California, the vast majority of the states that this ban would affect deal with harsh winter months that produce heavy snow falls. California Governor Newsom’s order will eliminate the option of reliable vehicles that perform well in our weather conditions. If this sneaks through, it would be a cruel trick to play on the residents of Massachusetts,” stated Chip Ford, executive director for Citizens for Limited Taxation.
“Now is the worst possible time for State House leaders to shrug their shoulders and allow the Governor of California to ban the sale of some popular vehicles in Massachusetts. If the current events have taught us anything, it’s that more options for consumers are necessary. ZEV batteries rely on components that are controlled by foreign countries, that should concern everyone right now. What Massachusetts needs is more options, not less. Even if the mood at the State House is to ban popular vehicles, that is a policy decision that should be debated and voted on by our lawmakers and the Governor,” concluded Paul Diego Craney, spokesperson for Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.