Virginia is still on track to have no new gas-powered vehicles sold in just over a decade, despite the best efforts of Republicans in the General Assembly.
Under the 2021 Democrat trifecta, legislation was passed to force Virginia to comply with vehicle emission standards set by California. Republicans, including Governor Glenn Youngkin, have campaigned on repealing the so-called ‘clean cars’ law, which will “phase in a requirement that all new cars, pickup trucks and SUVs offered for sale be 100% zero-emission by 2035”, per AP.
The Virginia Mercury has more:
“A Democratic-controlled Senate committee on Tuesday voted down three proposals from Republican legislators attempting to decouple Virginia from California’s vehicle emissions standards and revert to following federal standards.
The vote signals that Democrats, who recently secured narrow majorities in both the House and the Senate, are standing by a climate-focused law they passed in 2021 that began transitioning the state to California’s more stringent system, which will ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles beginning in 2035.
“We know as a society we have a problem,” said Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, as she motioned to kill the bills.”
Proposals to repeal the law have also been introduced by Republicans in the House of Delegates but are expected to meet a similar fate.