The nation's capital is joining several states, led by California, in pushing for aggressive electric vehicle (EV) mandates, which experts and lawmakers warn will lead to higher costs for consumers.
Washington, D.C. The Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) announced late last week that it had formally adopted the so-called “Advanced Clean Car II Rule” developed by the California state government. The regulations will require automakers to sell only zero-emission vehicles from 2035 in a bid to curb carbon emissions and combat global warming.
“District residents are already realizing refueling cost savings through electrification,” the DOEE said in a statement Friday. “The price of electric vehicles continues to decline over time, and the EPA estimates that, considering all available economic incentives, the average electric vehicle will cost from $400 more than its gasoline equivalent by 2032.” We predict it will be $4,000 cheaper.”
“The savings are even greater when you consider the approximately $10,000 in maintenance and fuel savings that the average owner saves over an eight-year ownership period,” the statement continued.
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Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks at an event on October 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Julia Nickinson)
The move comes as several Democratic-led states push for EV mandates, many of which are also modeled after California's regulations.
In March 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) restored California's authority under the Clean Air Act to enforce its own emissions standards and also allowed other states to adopt California's rules. The Trump administration had stripped states of their ability to pursue standards that run counter to federal rules.
A few months later, on August 25, 2022, the California Air Resources Board, the state environmental agency, announced new regulations banning the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles and mandating electric vehicles by 2035. 17 states have laws That means this mandate could affect tens of millions of Americans across the country and a significant portion of future car purchases.
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In September, the House passed a bill revoking the EPA's restoration of California's authority to finalize the Advanced Clean Car II rule. However, the bill has not yet been voted in the Senate.
“DC adopts the Advanced Clean Car II program to benefit air quality and public health while increasing access to zero-emission vehicles,” Mike Litt, conservation chair and executive committee member of the Sierra Club DC Chapter, said Tuesday. I'm glad I did.” .
Based on this regulation, automakers will be prohibited from selling gasoline-powered vehicles starting in 2035. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“Washington, D.C. joins a group of states attacking the scourge of transportation sector pollution,” added Kathy Harris, senior advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “The capital is the most recent city to adopt the Advanced Clean Car II standard, and the transition to zero-emission vehicles will bring significant benefits to air quality, health and the economy.”
In addition to Washington, D.C., several states in the Northeast are moving forward with EV mandates, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia. Michigan and New Mexico are also developing their own EV requirements.
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Supporters of such regulations point to the transportation sector's heavy carbon footprint and argue that EVs can help reduce pollution. Overall, transportation accounts for nearly 30% of the country's total greenhouse gas emissions, according to the EPA.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said the state will “continue to lead the revolution toward a future of zero-emission transportation” after his administration implements the Advanced Clean Car II rule in 2022. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
But critics of EVs' strict requirements warn: The US power grid is currently underequipped. This is to cope with the demand and load that will increase significantly due to the spread of EVs. They also argue that power outages caused by both storms and supply shortages could render large swaths of the electrified transportation sector unusable.
“The only way electrification of the transportation sector and home heating and cooling will work is for the public sector to continue building natural gas-fired power plants and look to building nuclear power plants and possibly new coal-fired power plants. “The organizations that push these policies are already overburdened,” Myron Ebell, director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Institute for Competitive Enterprise, previously told Fox News Digital.
“Everyone is moving to EVs, so when that happens, the only way is to find more baseload power and more dispatchable power.”
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DOEE did not respond to requests for comment.
