California said it was joining 15 countries that have made similar pledges, including Britain.
Newsom said the California Air Resources Board (CARB) will develop regulations to mandate that 100 percent of in-state sales of new passenger cars and trucks are zero-emission by 2035, which would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent. The board also plans to mandate by 2045 that all operations of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles be zero emission where feasible.
Newsom’s executive order will not prevent Californians from owning gasoline-powered cars or selling them on the used-car market.
In response to a record wildfire season in the state, Newsom earlier this month said California needed to “fast track” its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. “Across the entire spectrum, our goals are inadequate to the reality we are experiencing,” he said on Sept. 11 while touring a burned area in the state.
California and nearly two dozen other U.S. states sued the Trump administration seeking to block the government from undoing California’s authority to set strict car pollution rules and rolling back nationwide emissions standard.
The Trump administration has been waging a multi-pronged battle to counter California’s efforts to fight climate change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses from vehicles.
