Officials in California voted to approve a plan on Thursday to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035.
The new rule would mandate that 100 percent of all new cars sold in California by 2035 must be zero-emission, according to the reports. The plan would set a target of 35 percent of new passenger vehicles sold in the state by 2026 being zero-emission. By 2030, that target would increase to 68 percent.
“The climate crisis is solvable if we focus on the big, bold steps necessary to stem the tide of carbon pollution,” California governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement to the New York Times.
While several countries have set goals to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles between 2030 and 2040 — including Canada, Britain, France and Spain – none have strict mandates or regulations as seen in the California proposal.
The Biden administration paved the way for the California Air Resources Board to issue the first-of-its-kind policy by restoring a Clean Air Act waiver that granted the state the legal authority to adopt auto pollution and mileage rules that are more strict than federal standards. The waiver had been blocked under the Trump administration.
However, 17 Republican-led states have challenged the California waiver in court. If the lawsuit is successful, the new policy would be undone.
At least 12 other states could adopt a similar policy soon, while another five states are expected to adopt the rule in a year or so, according to the New York Times.