California Bill in the Works to Banish Gasoline Cars by 2040
California Bill in the Works to Banish Gasoline Cars by
2040
Assemblymember Ting says he will introduce proposal next
month
Only ‘clean’ cars could be registered by DMV under bill:
Ting
By Ryan Beene and Dana Hull December 5, 2017, 1:17 PM PST
Updated on December 6, 2017, 2:00 AM PST
A California lawmaker wants to put the state alongside
China, France and the U.K. and have its legislature consider a ban on vehicles
powered by fossil fuels.
California Assemblymember Phil Ting, a Democrat who is
chairman of the chamber’s budget committee, said he plans to introduce a bill
that, starting in 2040, would allow the state’s motor vehicles department to
register only “clean” vehicles that emit no carbon dioxide, such as
battery-electric or hydrogen fuel-cell cars.
“Until you set a deadline, nothing gets done,” Ting, who
represents much of San Francisco, said in a phone interview Tuesday. “It’s
responsible for us to set a deadline 23 years in advance.”
Ting said he’ll introduce the bill when lawmakers return
to Sacramento next month for the upcoming legislative session. If adopted, it
would eliminate a huge chunk of carbon emissions from the transportation sector
-- now the top source of the greenhouse gas in the U.S. -- as part of the
state’s quest to slash emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050.
Ting isn’t the first official from the state with the
largest market for new vehicle sales in the U.S. to openly consider a ban on
internal-combustion engines. The topic has been discussed at the California Air
Resources Board, the state’s powerful air quality regulator, after Governor
Jerry Brown showed interest in similar moves by other countries, including
China.
“I’ve gotten messages from the governor asking, ‘Why
haven’t we done something already?’” CARB Chairman Mary Nichols said in
September, referring to China’s planned phase-out of fossil-fuel vehicle sales.
“The governor has certainly indicated an interest in why China can do this and
not California.”
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