California expected to ban sale of new gas cars by 2035

Commuters in L.A.
(Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The California Air Resources Board will vote Thursday on a measure banning new gasoline car sales in the state by 2035.

Board member Daniel Sperling told CNN he is "99.9 percent" confident the new rules will be approved, calling the move "monumental. This is the most important thing that CARB has done in the last 30 years. It's important not just for California, but it's important for the country and the world." This comes two years after California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed an executive order mandating that by 2035, all new vehicles sold in the state must be zero emission.

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Sperling told CNN there has been "surprisingly little debate" from car companies, and "many of them have already made announcement about how they're converting totally to electric vehicles." California could lead the way for states in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest, Sperling said, which is "a big part of the U.S. market. Even if the feds don't move on a regulatory perspective, a big chunk of the country will be moving forward."

Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.