Republicans Say California’s 2035 Ban on Gasoline-Powered Cars Will Apply in Virginia

California regulators moved forward with a plan to ban the sale of gasoline-powered cars by 2035, a policy that also impacts Virginia and other states that have chosen to link their emissions law to California’s. In the wake of the decision reported by The New York Times, Virginia Republicans are once again expressing frustration over the 2021 legislation that tied Virginia’s regulations to California’s zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) requirements.

“In an effort to turn Virginia into California, liberal politicians who previously ran our government sold Virginia out by subjecting Virginia drivers to California vehicle laws,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a Twitter statement Friday.

“Now under that pact, Virginians will be forced to adopt the California law that prohibits the sale of gas and diesel-fueled vehicles. I am already at work to prevent this ridiculous edict from being forced on Virginians,” he said.

“What does this mean for the citizens of Virginia? It means that unelected bureaucrats in CALIFORNIA are deciding what vehicle standards are appropriate for Virginia. This isn’t a California dream. It’s more like a nightmare,” Senator Steve Newman (R-Bedford) said on Facebook.

Youngkin has criticized other environmental policies enacted under the previous Democratic administration, and has sought to withdraw Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a cap-and-trade program regulating utilities. But Virginia’s involvement in that program was begun through legislation passed by the general assembly, and Youngkin doesn’t have the authority to repeal laws. Democrats said that means Youngkin can’t pull Virginia out of RGGI…. (Excerpt from The Star News Network)