Virginia opted to go along with California’s effort to get rid of gasoline-powered vehicles. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, wants to undo the damage of the his predecessor.
Glenn Youngkin’s Plan to Save Gas Cars
Voters in the Virginia elections will decide if the GOP can repeal an EV mandate dictated by California.
The Wall Street Journal comments on Glenn Youngkin’s Plan to Save Gas Cars
Virginia’s odd-year statehouse elections are now less than three weeks away, and Democrats want to make the argument all about abortion. That’s because Gov. Glenn Youngkin has a strong approval rating, and they’d prefer not to talk about the popular things he could do if Republicans win unified control of Richmond.
Two years ago Democrats in the General Assembly passed a law to adopt California’s vehicle-emissions standards. Signed by then-Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, it essentially lets progressive regulators on the California Air Resources Board (CARB) dictate the kinds of cars Virginians can drive.
Under the federal Clean Air Act, California is allowed to set its own standards for tailpipe pollutants, which other states may follow. The Environmental Protection Agency under Presidents Obama and Biden has interpreted this authority broadly, and last year CARB declared sales of new internal-combustion engine cars would be banned in the Golden State by 2035. EVs must make up 35% of auto makers’ sales by 2026 and 68% by 2030. Under Mr. Northam’s law, Virginia is obligated to follow its mandates.
Electric vehicles are less than 0.5% of cars on Virginia’s roads, though they were about 10% of the state’s sales for the first quarter of this year. Here’s the rub: Tesla currently makes up most EV sales. If this trend continues, other auto makers may soon have to reduce deliveries of gas-powered cars to meet the mandate.
Democrats say the policy will increase consumer choice, but unsold EVs are already piling up on dealer lots. The mandate will limit choices for Virginians who want gas cars, and they may pay higher prices due to restricted supply. Mr. Youngkin, who understands economics, is pushing to undo the 2021 law.
This year the House of Delegates passed a repeal bill, but Democratic state Sen. Monty Mason blocked it from getting out of his committee. At the moment Democrats hold a narrow majority in the Senate, and Mr. Mason is running for re-election in a competitive district around Williamsburg. Mr. Youngkin carried the district by 3.4 points in 2021.