New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday that the state would be joining California in banning the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035.
Earlier this year, California and Washington announced their plans to stop the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035.
In a press release from Hochul’s office, the State Department of Environmental Conservation was directed to to ensure that “all new passenger cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs” follow the regulation.
“This is a crucial regulatory step to achieving significant greenhouse gas emission reductions from the transportation sector,” the office said.
The regulations being put together would require 35% of new vehicle sales to be zero-emission vehicles in 2026, 68% by 2030, and 100% by 2035.
“We’re really putting our foot down the accelerator, and revving up our efforts to make sure we have this transition,” Hochul said at a news conference.
“We had to wait for California to take a step because there’s some federal requirements. … But once they made that decision, we were able to step up immediately and say, ‘Now there’s nothing holding us back,'” she continued.
Under the Clean Air Act, states have the option to follow the U.S. government’s vehicle emissions standards or stricter requirements like those in California.
California decided in August to require all new vehicles sold in the state to be powered by electricity or hydrogen by 2035.
“With sustained state and federal investments, our actions are incentivizing New Yorkers, local governments, and businesses to make the transition to electric vehicles,” Hochul said during her speech at an event commemorating “National Drive Electric Week.”
Under the new proposal, New Yorkers can still own gas-powered vehicles, but they will be bought and sold secondhand.
“We’re driving New York’s transition to clean transportation forward, and today’s announcement will benefit our climate and the health of our communities for generations to come,” Hochul added.
The governor’s office noted that $1 billion will be invested in zero-emissions vehicles over the next five years.
In addition, $5.75 million will be used for communities to set up EV infrastructure and $10 million will be for an EV rebate to entice consumers, reported the Post Millennial.
$175 million is set to be invested in “an interconnected network for reliable charging for electric vehicles traveling long-distance” across New York.
The New York Power Authority just finished the installation of the 100th high-speed EV charger as part of the state’s EVolve NY statewide charging network.
Hochul explained that any battery-powered EV can charge at these stations in as little as 20 minutes.
“New York is a national climate leader and an economic powerhouse,” said the governor.