Because the Trump Administration is unlikely to approve them, California believes it has no choice but to abandon its groundbreaking rules for zero-emission trucks and cleaner locomotives.
The state air board will vote on changes to its landmark clean fuel program that would cut more greenhouse gases while increasing the cost of gasoline an average of 47 cents per gallon in 2025.
Under the new plan, the state would almost eliminate oil and shift to renewable sources over the next two decades, but offers no update on the controversial polluting-trading market known as cap-and-trade.
If enacted this summer, California’s mandate — the first in the world — would increase sales of electric or other zero-emission cars to 35% in 2026, and prohibit new gasoline or diesel cars by 2035.
Nations addressing climate change took on gasoline and diesel vehicles in pledges that mirror California’s mandates and plans — and in some cases, go even further.