California Electric Vehicle Mandates Are Dead
The California Air Resources Board regulations mandating electric or hydrogen powered cars, SUVs, light trucks and heavy duty, over the road trucks and railroad locomotives to be implemented after Clean Air Act waivers were granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are dead.
This past Friday, EPA sent to Congress for review a President Biden era waiver granted to the California Air Resources Board that would allow for the ban of gas- or diesel-powered vehicles operating in California by 2035. Congress is anticipated to reverse the waiver. CARB had requested similar waivers to eventually ban diesel powered trucks and locomotives but pulled back the request to EPA after the national election.
The National Aquaculture Association opposed the waivers for a lack of electric or hydrogen vehicles of similar capacity and capability to current trucks, inadequate rural vehicle charging infrastructure, zero emission vehicle cost, and potential to further crowd California roads with the two to three times more zero emission vehicles needed to meet current farmer and commercial vehicle usage.