Governor Newsom Statement on Biden Administration Clean Car Standards Inspired by California’s Landmark Framework Agreements with Automakers

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SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statement today welcoming the Biden Administration’s move to advance smart fuel efficiency and emissions standards and set a target to make half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emission vehicles. California will continue to pursue its ambitious emissions standards and zero-emission vehicle goals.

The proposed new standards are inspired by the groundbreaking California Framework Agreements, signed by the state with five major automakers in 2019 to serve as a path forward for clean vehicle standards nationwide in the face of Trump Administration rollbacks.

“California applauds the Biden Administration’s move to boldly reduce climate pollution from cars, inspired by California’s nation-leading framework. The climate emergency demands no less. Today’s proposal will help to clean the air and create a healthier future for our children and our planet,” said Governor Newsom. “We look forward to continuing our decades-long collaboration with federal partners to build on California’s clean car leadership and deliver the investments needed to support the nationwide build-out of clean vehicle infrastructure.”

Under Governor Newsom, California led the charge to challenge the Trump Administration rollbacks and continue reducing emissions, launching a sustained litigation campaign and joining a bipartisan coalition of states calling for a strong, federal clean car standard.

The Governor has taken bold action to eliminate harmful emissions from the transportation sector and drive the transition to zero-emission vehicles. Governor Newsom made a historic commitment to require that sales of all new passenger vehicles be zero-emission by 2035 and aggressively decarbonize heavy-duty vehicles such as trains, trucks and buses. The state has targeted emissions from the heavy-duty sector with bold action to reduce pollution in disproportionately impacted communities. The California Comeback Plan includes a $3.9 billion package to accelerate our zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) goals, including funding for clean vehicle infrastructure and to help drive consumer adoption of ZEVs.

Earlier this year, Governor Newsom joined a bipartisan group of 12 governors from across the country calling for the Biden Administration to create a path with the states to ensure that all new vehicles sold in the U.S. will be zero-emission in the near future and amplify states’ investments in ZEV charging and fueling infrastructure, as the President has proposed to do in the Build Back Better Agenda and Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal.

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