No New Gas Powered Cars to Be Sold in RI After 2035, According to Regs Filed by McKee Administration
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee and officials announced Wednesday that it will join seven states, including Massachusetts, in adopting a policy aimed at addressing carbon pollution by slashing tailpipe emissions from cars, trucks, and SUVs.
According to McKee's office, with transportation causing around 40 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the Act on Climate mandating that the Rhode Island achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050, the regulations would require that manufacturers will deliver cleaner vehicles to Rhode Island consumers.
“The Act on Climate put us on the clock for meeting major carbon reduction mandates, and it’s clear to me that Rhode Island will only meet the mandates by addressing the transportation sector head-on,” said McKee. “Implementing the Advanced Clean Cars II and Advanced Clean Trucks policy will help us do exactly that, minimize smog across the state but especially in environmental justice communities, and ensure adequate customer choice on electric vehicles in the future.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTRhode Island joins Washington, Virginia, Vermont, Oregon, New York, and Massachusetts in adopting the ACCII California standards. Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey are currently moving forward with adoption. Rhode Island also joins 17 other jurisdictions that are working to foster a self-sustaining market for zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, many of which will do so by adopting ACT California standards.
“This is a huge step forward,” said Senator Alana DiMario (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown), who chairs the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture. “We thank Governor McKee and the Department of Environmental Management for working on this issue with us. Motor vehicle emissions cause major health problems, especially for children and those living in high-traffic areas. By reducing those emissions, we’re creating a healthier, safer world for all of us.”
About Regs
The adoption of the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACCII) and Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) standards is a pivotal moment in Rhode Island’s efforts to fight climate change, says the McKee administration.
The regulations filed by the McKee Administration’s Department of Environmental Management would require that, by 2035, all new cars imported for sale in Rhode Island be non-gas powered.
Manufacturers already are taking action to meet consumer demand and these emerging regulatory requirements. For example, by 2030, Ford zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) production will be 40 percent of all cars manufactured, Volvo production will be 100 percent ZEVs, Volkswagen will be 50 percent ZEVs, and Nissan 40 percent. By 2040, Honda will only make ZEVs. Tesla already is producing 100 percent ZEVs.
“America’s new-car and -truck dealers are committed to selling consumers the vehicles that they want and need,” states the National Automobile Dealers Association’s website. “Electric and hybrid vehicles are here, and America’s vast franchised dealer network is eager, excited, and essential to the successful deployment to the mass retail market. Dealers are all-in on EVs and are investing billions of dollars in their stores and staff to improve the purchasing experience and reduce barriers to electric-vehicle ownership.”
Automakers first will deliver ZEVs to those states where they have a legal compliance obligation to do so. States that have not adopted the ACCII regulations will get whatever remaining inventory of a manufacturer’s production for each year based on market conditions. Thus, if Rhode Island does not adopt these rules, state auto dealers and customers will likely not have broad access to ZEVs in-state, and customers will need to travel to neighboring states to access inventory and purchase them, says the McKee Administration.
The regulations only apply to vehicle manufacturers. The rules do not affect used cars or regulate local auto dealers or customers. Through the new rules, Rhode Island will require that all new cars sold in 2035 and beyond are ZEVs. Gasoline-powered cars can still be driven in Rhode Island, registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles, and sold as used cars to new owners.
“The RI Act on Climate directs all state agencies to move forward under their respective authorities to meet the greenhouse gas reduction mandates set in the law. Today, DEM is taking a major step to fight climate change in the transportation sector,” said Department of Environmental Management Director Terry Gray, whose agency will hold a virtual public listening session May 18 to discuss the new regulations and begin the rulemaking process. “Rhode Island is joining our neighboring states to cut GHGs and air pollution, which have the most impact on our communities that border our major roads and highways, creating a disproportionate impact in those neighborhoods. The environmental and health impacts from improved air quality in these areas is significant. In terms of economic impact, states joining together to send a clear signal to the market will result in greater economies of scale, driving down the prices of ZEVs, and ensuring that Rhode Island dealers and customers have full access to electric vehicles.”
Related Articles
- Volkswagen Reaches $14.7 Billion Settlement Over Emissions Scandal
- Horowitz: Republican Heavyweights Advocate Carbon Tax
- Rhode Island Ranked 5th Best State for CO2 Emissions in EPA Data Report
- Whitcomb: Lessons of 2020; Carbon-Tax Start; Tribute to Boston City Hall; Cult Leader Keeps Churning
- RI 8th in the Country for Reducing Carbon Emissions
- Taylor Swift, Part-Time Rhode Islander, Named Top Celebrity Carbon Dioxide Polluter
- Diesel Emissions Limited Under New State Law
- Unchecked Carbon Emissions Could Cause Worldwide Food Crisis
- Horowitz: Carbon Tax Proposal Gets New Life
- RI Trucking Companies Charged With Conspiracy for Tampering With Emission Monitoring Devices
- Supreme Court Strikes Down EPA’s Effort to Restrict Greenhouse-Gas Emissions from Power Plants
- RI Is Missing Its Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Goals - Mixed Results at Brown & RI Hospital
- This Week at GA: Hearings on Abortion Coverage, Taxing Nonprofits, Vehicle Emissions Bills
