Gavin Newsom and the California legislature are all-in on climate change panic, and to that end, they’ve been proposing to ban the sale of new, gas-powered cars in the former Golden State by 2035. On Wednesday, the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted California the authority to do that, citing the Clean Air Act:
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The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday granted two requests from California to enforce strict standards for vehicle emissions, including a rule aimed at banning sales of new gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035. The incoming Trump administration is likely to try to reverse the action.
The California rule is stricter than a federal rule adopted this year that tightens emissions standards but does not require sales of electric vehicles.
EPA said its review found that opponents of the two waivers did not meet their legal burden to show how either the EV rule or a separate measure on heavy-duty vehicles was inconsistent with the federal Clean Air Act.
This waiver is important – and, at the same time, it isn’t. Why? It’s important because other states follow California’s lead on these sorts of things. It’s not important (possibly) because the incoming Trump administration may slam-dunk it:
The new waiver is important not only to California but to more than a dozen other states that follow its nation-leading standards on vehicle emissions.
Even so, the waiver is likely to be short-lived. President-elect Donald Trump has said he will move to revoke all California waivers as part of an industry-friendly approach that includes boosting production of fossil fuels and repealing key parts of a landmark 2022 climate law.
But should Trump veto this latest piece of California windbaggery?
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There’s an argument to be made for letting California have this one. Why? Because it won’t work.
In 2023, dealerships in California sold 1,775,915 new cars. California proposes to replace that many new car sales with electric vehicles, in 10 years. These are the same electric cars that are subsidized because they are not economically viable on their own. It’s unlikely that the manufacturers could ramp up production to meet this goal and, even if they could, how much are we talking about in subsidies and tax breaks for these rolling boondoggles?
Also, that gives California 10 years to put in a usable grid of charging stations. Everywhere, not just in San Francisco and Los Angeles. This is a state, I would point out, that can’t keep their roads passable.
Furthermore, what’s to stop someone from driving to Nevada to buy a new car? California can’t prohibit its residents from leaving the state or from engaging in a voluntary economic transaction if they do – or will California just prohibit not only sales but registration of new traditional autos? And what about the almost 14 million cars already present in the state? Wait and watch as the market for grandfathered, benzene burners takes off in California, and watch as prices for those older autos spike as well; supply and demand is a harsh mistress.
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California seems too often these days to be a wellspring of bad ideas, but this one is self-defeating. This is an idea that will collapse under its own weight. The incoming Trump administration should let it fail.
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