Virginia Republicans Vow to Repeal Clean Cars Law as Interest Grows in EVs

The popularity of electric vehicles is growing in Virginia – with both auto dealers and drivers becoming increasingly inclined towards these clean cars. Despite that, Virginia Republicans are firm on trying to repeal the clean transportation law of the state.

The clean cars legislation, passed in 2021, aims to reduce carbon pollution by encouraging the sale of electric vehicles and the adoption of other clean vehicle technologies. It also seeks to deal with Virginia’s low inventory problems when it comes to electric cars. Auto manufacturers are required to send higher inventories of electric vehicles to the state’s car dealers starting in 2024. The law is modeled after a similar program in California that involved making the emission standards for cars and light-duty trucks stricter.

Through the Clean Air Act, California was granted the authority to draft and implement its own vehicle emissions standards that were stricter than federal ones. This was done to help the state deal with its severe smog issues. As for the other states, they could choose to follow the federal standards, which were more lenient or go with the much stricter ones set by California. However, no other state was granted the right to draft its own standards.

The Virginia legislators chose to adopt the standards set by California. But the decision didn’t sit well with the Republicans. The opposition escalated further when the legislators put forward a proposal in late August for updating the standards. This new update would potentially ban the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles in the state from 2035. However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency still needs to verify all these upgrades.

The republicans, on the other hand, have been vehemently opposing this law. They have already pre-filed three bills against it several months before the next General Assembly session, which begins in January. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin believes that the state should scrap the Clean Cars law.

The state’s auto dealers association and several residents do not share this opinion. Don Hall, the president of the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association, said that while he doesn’t have the exact figures of how many electric or low-emission vehicles have been delivered to the dealers across the state, he is sure that the number is relatively small. And in the absence of the Clean Cars law, the figures aren’t likely to see a rise soon.

The low environmental impact of such vehicles is undoubtedly important. However, that alone isn’t what motivates Hall to support this law. Being the association’s president, he doesn’t want the dealers under him to suffer losses due to not being able to provide customers with the cars they want. Instead, he wants to ensure that dealers across the state have the cars in demand among consumers right now.

Apart from having a smaller effect on the environment, electric vehicles are also preferred by people who want to avoid the health issues resulting from tailpipe emissions. And as many Staunton Car Accident Lawyer would agree, electric cars are just as safe or even safer than those powered by diesel and gasoline.

Trip Pollard, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center specializing in transportation issues, is dismayed by the intent of the Republicans. They are, in his opinion, again trying to undo a law that hasn’t come into effect yet. And this is at a time when a considerable portion of Virginia residents are affected by the state’s rising levels of air pollution.

While the Republicans wish to repeal Clean Cars without providing alternatives, Pollard is convinced that electric cars are the future. However, it still remains to be seen whether they will be successful in doing so in the upcoming General Assembly session.