Policy

When it comes to implementing policy to realize these targets, the federal government can look to California, a state that is already familiar with the complexities of implementing ambitious emissions reductions and clean vehicle targets.

What's Happening

International acclaim recently poured in when the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved the Advanced Clean Cars II rule (ACCII), a historic suite of regulations to address pollution from vehicles in California.

On October 20th, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-19-21 to address infrastructure shortcomings resulting in supply chain bottlenecks.

The 2021 Legislative session produced several notable sustainable transportation bills, some signed and some vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom. As the summer recedes into memory, it’s a good time to look at bills that came close to becoming law this year, and may return in 2022, perhaps in modified form. 

California’s Governor Newsom is deliberating hundreds of bills, including several key policies to advance sustainable land use, bike safety, vehicle electrification, and accessibility.

Jay Inslee vetoed a bill from the Washington State Legislature that would have phased out gasoline powered vehicles requiring all light-duty vehicles sold, bought, or registered in the state to be electric by 2030.

Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing a $4.5 billion economic recovery plan to kick off the 2021-2022 budget. Alongside helping Californians and small businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic, the proposed recovery plan will dedicate a third of the budget to the transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2035.

As part of the commonwealth’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, the Governor of Massachusetts has released a plan to dramatically reduce carbon emissions over the next decade. A crucial component of that plan includes a requirement that by 2035, all new light-duty vehicle sales must be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs).