Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed an executive order reaffirming California’s commitment to clean cars and trucks, launching the next phase in the state’s transition to zero-emission vehicles amid pushback from the Trump administration.
The order initiates the development of new clean vehicle policies and directs state agencies to speed up the adoption of affordable, zero-emission vehicles.
It also updates state vehicle purchasing rules to favor automakers that comply with California’s clean air standards and calls for recommendations to further accelerate the adoption of clean vehicles.
“We won’t let this illegal action by Trump and Republicans in the pockets of polluters stand in the way of commonsense policy to clean our air, protect the health of our kids, and compete on the global stage,” Newsom said in a statement.
The order comes after President Trump signed an executive order Thursday morning that blocks California’s first-in-the-nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.
The resolution was approved by Congress last month and aims to quash the country’s most aggressive attempt to phase out gas-powered cars. Trump also signed measures to overturn state policies curbing tailpipe emissions in certain vehicles and smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks, according to The Associated Press.
Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the state will challenge the order in court.
According to the governor’s office, around one in four new cars sold in California are zero-emission vehicles.
Data released in March also showed that more public and shared private electric vehicle chargers were installed statewide than gasoline nozzles.
