Virginia politicians are figuring out how they can get out of a ridiculous tie-in to California's absurd 2035 gas car ban. Virginia democrats, who recently lost power, signed a law in early 2021 that tied them to California automobile standards adopted by the dopey CA Air Resources Board.
GOP Virginia Attorney General Jason Minyares called into the John & Ken Show to explain how Virginia got lumped into this mess and how they intend on getting out of it.
In 2021, the state General Assembly, where Democrats then held majorities in both chambers, passed a law requiring the state to adopt the same automobile standards as those adopted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Although Democrats lost their majority in the state House of Delegates in 2021, efforts to repeal the legislation in this yearās legislative session were unsuccessful.Ā
Californiaās new rule, passed last week, will also apply to Virginia, Miyares spokesperson Victoria LaCivita confirmed to The Hill. The news wasĀ first reportedĀ by The Virginia Mercury.Ā
āThe Attorney General is hopeful that the General Assembly repeals this law and discontinues any trend that makes Virginia more like California,ā LaCivita told The Hill in an email. āUnelected California bureaucrats should not be dictating the will of Virginians.āĀ
Virginia is one of 15 states that have adopted an earlier CARB standard that imposes stricter tailpipe emissions standards than the federal rule.
The rule on new gas-powered vehicles does not apply to used cars or restrict the use of existing gas-powered cars. Under the terms of the 2021 law, the California rule would not take effect until 2024, giving Republicans in the legislature at least one more chance to attempt repeal, particularly if they take the state Senate in 2023.Ā
Gov.Ā Glenn YoungkinĀ (R) has vowed to prevent the rule from taking effect in Virginia,Ā sayingĀ in a statementĀ Friday, āI am already at work to prevent this ridiculous edict from being forced on Virginians.ā