New Bill Seeks to Transition New York to Zero-Emission Vehicles by 2035, Follows California's Lead

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On September 25, New York State Senator Pete Harckham introduced new legislation that would require all new car and truck sales in the state to be zero-emission by 2035. The legislation further stipulates that all in-state sales of medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks be zero-emission by 2045. Similar sales of off-road vehicles and power equipment will also be expected to be zero-emission by 2035, according to The New York State Senate.

New York's new legislation is similar to recent California regulations for zero-emission vehicles. New laws are forcing automakers to ramp up the development of all-electric and hybrid vehicles.

California Governor: All New Passenger Cars Sold By 2035 Must Be Zero-Emissionhttps://t.co/v1X4PAPydb

— Tesmanian.com (@Tesmanian_com) September 23, 2020

“It’s time to intensify our fight against climate change, and a logical step is requiring vehicles to be entirely free of carbon and other toxic emissions,” said Harckham. “We can no longer wait on the White House or car and truck manufacturers to make this important determination. The climate crisis that we are facing can only be averted with decisive action. The changeover to zero-emission vehicles is just one part of a larger, all-out initiative necessary to save our planet.”

“With New York, California and other states having the same zero-emissions vehicle policies,” continued Harckham, “the combined market share will certainly incentivize other states to follow suit.”

The senator hopes that the shift in the state to zero-emission vehicle sales could happen earlier than 2035. To help meet the zero-emissions requirement, Harckham's legislation states that government agencies are accelerating the development of affordable fueling and charging options for zero-emission vehicles, with a focus on ensuring access in low-income and economically disadvantaged communities.

Also, Harckham's bill draws attention to the zero-emissions era and asks to speed up regulatory processes to move away from oil and fossil fuel production facilities.

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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter

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