California Emissions Mandate Repeal Passes House

RICHMOND- On Wednesday legislation patroned by Delegate Tony Wilt (R-Rockingham) repealing Virginia’s law tying Virginia to California’s Vehicle Emissions Mandate passed the House of Delegates.

Under current law, Virginia is obligated to follow California’s emissions standard which requires 35% of all new car and light trucks sold in Virginia to be zero emission vehicles starting with model year 2026. That percentage increases every year until culminating in a 100% ban on gas and diesel new car sales in 2035. Zero emissions vehicles on the market currently are primarily electric.

“The fact is the current path we are on will pose significant hardship on Virginians,” said Delegate Wilt. “The average cost of an EV is over 1/3 higher than gas powered vehicles and even for those that can’t afford or don’t want to buy an EV, this policy will have the effect of driving up prices in the used car market. Our grid likely won’t be able to handle the increased load due to other mandates put in place forcing us to decommission more reliable sources of energy. It’s also not clear if the necessary charging structure can be in place to avoid leaving motorists stranded. We must decouple Virginia from this mandate that is forcing us to be subject to the whims of bureaucrats from Sacramento.”

With passage in the House, Delegate Wilt’s bill now heads to the State Senate for consideration.