New York and California Lead On Clean Cars

By FRANK LINGO

Last year, New York State passed a law to ban sales of new gas-powered cars and light trucks by 2035. On Aug. 25, California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted to do the same in a decision approved by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Inside Climate News covered the story, including a photo of an 18-lane back-up at the Bay Bridge. The pic illustrates how out of control the automobile revolution has become.

The move is welcomed by some environmentalists because, along with coal power plants, cars are a major cause of global warming from their carbon dioxide emissions.

However, The Center for Biological Diversity is leading some eco groups in calling for the ban to go into effect five years earlier — by 2030.

An historical perspective on this would be the example of World War II. When America entered the war in December 1941, we were woefully underprepared with war machinery, in comparison to the massive military manufacturing by Japan and Germany. Yet within a few months, the United States was churning out tremendous volumes of ships, planes, trucks, everything necessary to fight the war.

If we regard the climate crisis as an emergency, we could swing into action in a similar way and get a lot done very quickly.

So making a seven year goal of 2030 isn’t moving too fast, since America actually won the war in less than four years with the relatively rudimentary technology of 80 years ago.

At least 13 other states are poised to follow New York and California to ban new gas cars.

That will leave automakers with no choice but to deliver electric vehicles (EVs) to consumers. Most manufacturers have seen this coming, and are busily developing EVs.

Plug-in hybrids, which get their first 50 miles on electric motor alone, will get a pass since their gas motors won’t be used for most driving situations.

CARB estimates the ban will reduce gas emissions by 62% by 2040, and will reduce nitrogen oxide emissions, a pollutant with severe health effects, by 70%.

Will the transition to EVs be a strain on our electric grid? Yes and no.

There is already a polluting strain from the energy-intensive use of gasoline which requires extraction of the oil, refining it and transporting it to gas stations. But yeah, we’ll need more renewable energy plants to provide clean sourcing of the electric power, instead of fueling it from coal.

Coastal areas can step up the under-used but constant power of tides. Sunny areas can build more solar facilities, and wind farms can work almost anywhere. Germany now produces over 50% of its electric power from renewables. Let’s race them to 100%.

California has enjoyed a waiver from the less-strict federal Clean Air Act starting in the 1970’s, enabling it to set its own standards for car emissions, which actually benefitted the nation as a whole because automakers complied with their entire fleets sold in America. Trump halted it but President Biden has restored the waiver to allow the ban on gas car sales.

There is a conflict coming, though. Republican attorneys general in 17 states are suing in the US Court of Appeals in D.C. to revoke California’s waiver, which would nullify California’s new law, and presumably the other states following New York and California’s leadership on this vital issue.

It’s worrisome to think the case might go to the Supreme Court, with its conservative majority. In this case, conservative doesn’t mean they want to conserve the atmosphere or anything but the status quo. It means they could vote to revoke our right to breathe clean air.

Frank Lingo, based in Lawrence, Kansas, is a former columnist for the Kansas City Star and author of the novel “Earth Vote.” Email: lingofrank@gmail.com. See his website: Greenbeat.world

From The Progressive Populist, October 15, 2022

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