Some American states are planning to completely eliminate gas-powered cars in the near future. However, this has brought up mixed reactions from citizens nationwide.

Since Carl Benz made the first gas-powered car, many modifications have been made. However, one of the most significant changes was changing the cars from gasoline engines to electrical ones.
This is because the emissions from the gasoline engines are quite high, making world leaders try different ways to reduce their country’s carbon footprint.

Many states in the country have adopted several strategies to help reduce emissions greatly. As governments are trying to find solutions to protect the environment in the long and short terms, reducing gas-powered cars is a great initiative.
Without a doubt, California is leading the pack in this regard with many green energy projects that would help regulate climate change.

California has introduced a new plan to reduce carbon emissions greatly by 2035. This is by eliminating all gas-powered vehicles as soon as possible. The government passed the Advanced Clean Cars II Act in 2022, and it states that “By 2035, all new passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs sold in California will have zero emissions.” They will also “ramp up to 100% zero-emission vehicles” gradually.

While the Golden State is leading this huge change, other states are following suit. As of today, eight other U.S. states have applied similar plans. These are Rhode Island, Oregon, Washington, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Delaware, and Maryland. They all plan to completely outlaw the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035 as well.

This new law has a couple of interesting points which will help the residents ease into it. First, the government will not force vehicle owners to give up their gas-powered vehicles at any time. Second, the residents do not have to buy electric vehicles when they need a new car. Legally, they would be allowed to own a regular car, but no new gas-powered cars will be available for sale after 2035.

The legislation allows used gas-powered cars to remain in circulation and available for purchase. Those who want to buy a new car but don’t want the electric alternative have no choice but to buy a pre-owned one.
In addition, they can still purchase new gas-powered vehicles from other states and register them in their home states as long as they meet certain emissions standards.

Environmentalists are quite pleased with this new rule. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), “In 2022, U.S. motor gasoline fuel consumption in the U.S. transportation sector resulted in the emission of about 1,023 million metric tons (MMmt) of carbon dioxide (CO2).”
The U.S. is also one of the world’s largest air polluters. Therefore, this new legislation will have a significant impact on the environment.

While many Americans and environmentalists are happy with this new legislation, many others are not so thrilled. They don’t believe that the rule is a good plan for the country and its economy.
Ray Cantor, the chief deputy government affairs officer from The New Jersey Business and Industry Association agrees with this take, saying it is a “bureaucratic overreach.”

Cantor and many others do not believe in the new law as it “does not take the lack of local and highway infrastructure into account.” He added, “There’s nothing wrong with working to reduce carbon emissions. And the marketplace would have likely seen a natural increase of EV users with an organic time frame to build appropriate capacities. But the near-term, targeted mandates will increase the prices of both new and used gas-powered cars.”

President Joe Biden is an avid supporter of The Advanced Clean Cars II Act. While the states are passing laws to stop the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035, Biden is backing them up.
The Democratic president also has bigger environmental plans for the country, stating that he wants two-thirds of all American-made cars to be electric vehicles by 2032.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also has its own plans to try to reduce the amount of emissions from gas-powered vehicles in the air. In 2023, the agency passed a law that increased pollution standards for all vehicles made in the USA after 2027. This law will push automakers to make more electric vehicles and less gas-powered ones in the long run.

Without a doubt, America is one of the strongest contributors to global emissions on earth. Therefore, the need to change from gas-powered vehicles to electric ones is paramount. This will help lessen the emissions and fight the effects of climate change.
If the citizens do not cause an uproar and things go according to plan, the country will be able to reduce its carbon footprint significantly to the benefit of the earth.