(TotalConservative.com) – Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin made an announcement last week that his state would break away from a California mandate on electric vehicles (EV) and hybrids, believing the policy to be onerous and unnecessary.
On Friday, July 5, Yougkin announced that his state would not adhere to regulations from the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The regulation bans the sale of new vehicles (model year 2035) that run on gas or diesel fuel as well as traditional hybrid cars. It was set to take effect in 2025.
The California regulation’s link to Virginia originates from a bill in 2021 pushed by former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and pushed by his allies that mandated the state’s Air Pollution Control Board (APCB) following the standards set forth by the vehicle emission standards of California, effectively tying Virginia law to the Golden State’s regulations. Even more brazen was that Virginia voters weren’t even given a chance to give their input on the policy because Northam’s administration exempted the legislation from the Administrative Process Act.
In sum, Youngkin’s predecessor put automobile policy for Virginia completely in the hands of regulators in California without giving the state’s residents any say in the matter.
California’s new regulations were finalized at the end of 2022 and effectively ban the sale of any new vehicles running on gas or diesel, including traditional hybrid vehicles, which applies to cars and trucks. Violations will result in penalties. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has also talked about spreading his state’s policies globally to fight climate change.
The decision by Youngkin to decouple from California is a win for free market choice and voters’ right to decide for themselves how their state will regulate its vehicles, rather than allowing lawmakers 3,000 miles away to make those decisions for them. The regulations would have also impacted drivers and small businesses financially, who would have been priced out of the market.
Critics of the policy also point out that because China dominates the supply chain for EV batteries and the necessary minerals used in those batteries, it would force more economic dependence on the foreign nation.
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