Governors seek standards to require all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold to be zero-emission by 2035 and all new medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles sold to be zero-emission by 2045
Sacramento, Calif.—On the eve of Earth Day and President Biden’s climate leaders summit, Gov. Gavin Newsom joined a bipartisan group of 12 governors from across the country calling for the Biden Administration to build on its early action to tackle climate change by creating a path to ensure that all new vehicles sold in the U.S. will be zero-emission in the near future, and by amplifying states’ investments in ZEV charging and fueling infrastructure.
“By establishing a clear regulatory path to ensuring that all vehicles sold in the United States are zero-emission, we can finally clear the air and create high-road jobs. Moving quickly toward a zero-emission transportation future will protect the health of all communities,” wrote the governors in a joint letter. “With bold federal leadership, American workers will lead the way in designing, building and driving clean and affordable vehicles.”
A copy of the letter can be found here.
The letter — signed by Newsom and the governors of Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington — calls on the Administration to bolster the clean vehicle transition’s growing momentum nationwide by setting standards to require all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold to be zero-emission by 2035 and all new medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles sold to be zero-emission by 2045.
Recognizing that a growing number of automakers are pledging to produce exclusively zero-emission vehicles, the governors underscored the importance of strong federal support to capitalize on the opportunity for the nation to lead in the global ZEV marketplace while creating good jobs for American workers. ZEVs are California’s top export and the industry has created 70,000 jobs in the state.
The governors highlighted how American Jobs Plan investments could be used to support the growing market through scaling up the development of ZEV charging and fueling infrastructure, enhancing the investments already made by states. They also requested expanded tax credits to support the manufacturing of zero-emissions trucks, buses and charging stations and funding to promote equitable access to ZEVs and transportation electrification at the local level.
The letter outlines the states’ ambitious ZEV commitments and progress toward transportation electrification, including California’s order requiring all new cars and passenger trucks sold in the state to be zero-emission by 2035. The governors called on the Biden Administration to quickly restore scientifically based vehicle emission standards challenged by the prior administration and reaffirm that states can opt to follow California’s standards.
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