California is poised to set the bar on clean-car standards and make a significant dent in climate change. Because California is the largest auto market in the United States and the 10th largest in the world, California auto policies affect the rest of the country and help produce clean air in Maine.

On Thursday, the lead agency for climate change programs and air pollution control efforts in California will vote on a proposal that would end the sale of new gas-powered vehicles in the state by 2035. Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rev. Richard Killmer is a retired Presbyterian minister and a resident of Yarmouth.

On Thursday, the California Air Resources Board, the lead agency for climate change programs and air pollution control efforts in that state, will vote on a bold plan for zero-emission vehicles. The proposal, Advanced Clean Cars II, would end the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035.

The initiative supports a 2020 executive order by Gov. Gavin Newsom that requires all new passenger vehicles sold in California to produce zero emissions by 2035. To reach that goal, the state will require 35 percent of new passenger vehicles sold in the state by 2026 to be powered by batteries or hydrogen. That figure will increase to 68 percent of new passenger vehicles in 2030.

The proposal would increase the state’s already growing zero-emission vehicle market and put it on the pathway to 100 percent zero-emission vehicles. Currently, 12.4 percent of new vehicles sold in California are zero-emissions, according to the California Air Resources Board. It would also make its robust motor vehicle emission control rules even more aggressive, which will affect those gas-powered vehicles that continue to exist.

The climate crisis is hurting God’s creation and human communities. Extraordinarily hot weather in the U.S., in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe, and in many places throughout the world is a warning that climate action is needed now. More than 100 million people in the lower 48 states were under heat alerts in July, and in Texas and Oklahoma, many cities are enduring one of their hottest summers on record. Both states made it to 115 degrees July 19.

California’s action on clean cars could be instrumental in addressing climate change. Fifteen other states – including New York, Massachusetts and North Carolina – have previously followed California’s moves regarding tailpipe emissions and may adopt similar proposals. The proposal is expected to pass and will send a signal to the global auto market.

This is especially good news because the largest climate bill in history passed the U.S. Congress a couple of weeks ago. The sections that mitigate the climate crisis are embedded in the Inflation Reduction Act. As a result, money will be used to help households become more energy efficient and to replace gas appliances with ones powered by electricity, like heat pumps and induction stoves. Middle- and low-income Americans will also be eligible for tax credits to help them buy electric vehicles, thereby reducing the carbon emissions and unhealthy air pollution from gasoline-powered cars and trucks.

The act also addresses the leakage of methane, a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide. It’s a huge contributor to global warming, and to reduce those emissions, this legislation imposes a fee that rises over time. The principle is simple: Discourage bad behavior by making it more expensive. It worked really well to reduce the number of people who smoke cigarettes. Disadvantaged communities that typically bear the greatest burden from climate change and pollution will also get help. Some $60 billion will be used on environmental justice programs in those communities.

There has been a lot of discouragement and worry that the climate crisis is not fixable. Even though we have all seen so much damage caused by the crisis, maybe we can see a brighter future. But it is going to require Congress and the president to continue to do the right thing. And it is going to require Maine to take steps similar to the ones being taken in California.