Washington to Follow California in Phasing Out Gas Vehicles

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said his state will follow California and prohibit the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035, according to the Associated Press.

The specific regulations for Washington state are yet to be created and the public will have the chance to weigh in, The Seattle Times reported.

“This is a critical milestone in our climate fight. Washington set in law a goal for all new car sales to be zero emissions by 2030 and we’re ready to adopt California’s regs by end of this year,” Inslee said Wednesday on Twitter.

Transportation-related emissions account for more than 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in Washington.

California’s policy passed Wednesday requires 100% of new sales of passenger cars, trucks and SUVs to be powered by electricity or hydrogen by 2035, with one-fifth allowed to be plug-in hybrids. It doesn’t ban the use of gas-powered cars or the sale of used cars.

In 2020, Washington lawmakers passed a law directing the state Department of Ecology to adopt California’s emissions standards as they’re rolled out.

Washington lawmakers this year also set a goal of phasing out sales of new internal combustion-powered cars by 2030.

A state council, previously set up by Inslee to plan for the future of electric vehicles, held its first meeting in July, at which members discussed building a network of fast-charging stations on state highways, said Anna Lising, senior climate adviser to Inslee. The effort will be helped by $71 million from the federal government.

See the complete Associated Press story here.

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/washington-to-follow-california-in-phasing-out-gas-vehicles/