He has signed off on the ban.
President Joe Biden is expected to approve California’s plan to prohibit the production of new gas-powered vehicles after 2035, a move that has been highly anticipated by the state and 11 others. This decision is set to occur in Biden’s final days in office, according to sources familiar with the matter. The measure, which aims to transition to electric vehicles, has faced opposition from President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to challenge it legally once he assumes office.
Currently, California leads the nation with 25% of its vehicles being electric, the highest proportion in any state, but still far from the goal of 100% electric vehicles by 2035. Trump has repeatedly criticized California’s regulations, calling them excessive and promising to overturn them if he becomes president. The ongoing legal battle between the Biden administration and Trump’s potential move to revoke the policy is expected to intensify.
Governor Gavin Newsom has been working on this transition for several years, signing an executive order in 2020 and seeing it further developed through the California Air Resources Board’s regulation two years later. The initial plan involved phasing out gas-powered vehicles starting in 2026, with the requirement for 35% of new cars to be zero-emission. This figure would increase progressively to 68% by 2030, with the goal of completely eliminating gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035.
California, which often experiences the worst air pollution in the U.S., has long been allowed to implement stricter environmental regulations than those mandated at the federal level. As a result, other states have sometimes followed California’s example, leading to a patchwork of regulations that could spark legal challenges. For instance, while Virginia initially aimed to follow California’s lead, Governor Glenn Youngkin reversed the decision after taking office.
Governor Newsom has consistently praised the state’s climate policies, emphasizing that California’s leadership in environmental issues will continue in the future. “California has long led the nation in pioneering climate policies and innovation,” Newsom said, underlining the state’s commitment to tackling climate change and improving air quality.
