Despite having a Republican governor, Virginia is on track to adopt California’s new restrictions on the sale of gas-powered vehicles. The California Air Resources Board issued the rule and held a final hearing this week requiring all new cars sold after 2035 to be electric. According to the same plan, 35% of cars sold in the state should be without fossil fuels only in 2026. Virginia will follow California because of a 2021 law signed by former Gov. Ralph Northam that tied Virginia to the Golden State’s emissions regulations. HERE’S WHAT THE ELECTRIC F-150 IS Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (AP Photo/Steve Helber) ((AP Photo/Steve Helber) / AP Newsroom) “In 2021, Governor Northam and the far-left controlled General Assembly signed a law that binds Virginia to California’s vehicle emissions regulations, which, among other things, bans the sale of natural gas cars in Virginia by 2035,” a representative of Virginia. Attorney General Jason Miyares’ office said in a statement to Fox 5 DC. The spokesman added, “The Attorney General hopes the General Assembly will repeal this law and stop any trend that makes Virginia more like California. California’s unelected bureaucrats should not dictate the will of Virginians.” Other states such as Washington and Massachusetts also follow California’s emissions rules. WASHINGTON AND MASSACHUSETTS TO FOLLOW CALIFORNIA’S GAS CAR SALES BAN Traffic is back-to-back on the inner loop of the Beltway and heavy on the outer loop during the evening rush hour near the American Legion Bridge on July 27, 2021 in McLean, Virginia. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images/Getty Images) AUSTRALIA BANK TO END LOANS FOR NEW GAS AND DIESEL CARS IN SWITCH TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES California’s order fulfills Newsom’s September 2020 executive order aimed at banning new gas and diesel vehicles by 2035. “The climate crisis can be solved if we focus on the big, bold steps needed to stem the tide of carbon pollution,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement.
