OPINION:
“Elected representatives in California should not be making decisions on behalf of the people of Virginia.”
This was something I said this past legislative session when House Republicans moved to repeal a law tying Virginia to California vehicle emissions standards that would effectively ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles in 2035.
Despite this bill passing the House, it was killed by the Democratic-led Senate along party lines. It highlights a point of contention not just among Republicans and Democrats in the General Assembly but among voters in Virginia.
So, how did we get here? In 2021, before Republicans flipped the House of Delegates, the Democratic-controlled General Assembly passed legislation that coupled Virginia vehicle emissions regulations with those set by the California Air Resources Board, a set of rules often called the “clean car” standards. Last year, California issued a new rule that will require all new vehicles sold in the state to be zero emission beginning in 2035.
This plan to turn Virginia into the next California was countered by Republicans earlier in session, with my Republican colleague Del. Tony Wilt introducing HB 1378, which would have repealed this harmful law and kept Virginia on a reasonable path toward becoming more energy-efficient instead of adopting an unrealistic plan that forces middle-class Virginians to purchase vehicles they can’t afford.
Democrats both in Virginia and nationwide want to make this a political issue, but this is a matter of common sense. At the beginning of this year, over 230,000 trucks across the country became legally banned from operating in California under its rules and regulations, with the Golden State banning 76,000 of its own trucks.
All of this was done despite this nation continuing to battle the effects of historical supply chain backups.
While bureaucrats in California will try to sell this misguided plan to their constituents and people for this nation, they are leaving out key details that the people of Virginia deserve to know. According to Kelley Blue Book, in 2022, the average cost of an electric vehicle was $66,000. Where I am from in southwestern Virginia, the median household income is $46,000; many families may make even less. Virginians should have the freedom to purchase a car that fits their budget.
This plan is just not practical, because even if everyone in the Golden State converted to an electric car, the state would have to produce 47% more electricity than it already does. Not to mention that the production of more electric batteries means more burning of coal, oil and natural gas at power plants that manufacture that make these cars’ batteries. They plants release more toxins that many would say are not environmentally friendly.
In Virginia, a mandate to purchase an electric vehicle is simply not feasible due to a lack of sufficient charging infrastructure to meet the uptick in demand, especially in rural areas.
Democrats are using the vanity of green energy to form an alarmist narrative that aims to scare people into supporting measures like California’s, they omit the burden they would be placed on businesses and individual taxpayers who would be footing the bill for policies that are not practical. Republicans are fighting for the people of Virginia by standing up to California bureaucrats with a clear message: Don’t California our Virginia.
• Terry Kilgore is the majority leader of the Virginia House of Delegates.
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