Washington state lawmakers have adopted a measure that will begin to reduce sales of gas-powered vehicles in 2030. The Clean Cars 2030 initiative was adopted Thursday as an amendment to a bill that requires public services to be ready for the future of an electric vehicle. The bill is now awaiting the signing of government Jay Inslee.
This is five years earlier than planned bans on gas vehicles in California and Massachusetts, and the first bans on gas engines passed by lawmakers, rather than by an executive order. The bill overtook the Washington Senate by a 25-23 vote and a 54-43 vote in the House. The bill bans the sale, purchase or registration of non-EVs from model year 2030 and later, and will include vehicles purchased in another state and brought into the state of Washington.
The Clean Cars 2030 measure depends on the state approving a tax for the kilometers traveled, which according to the bill will help pay for new transportation infrastructure in the state.
California Gov. Newsom signed an order last September banning the sale of new internal combustion vehicles in the state beginning in 2035, which is also part of a package of policy changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The measure applies to the sale of new vehicles in the state and does not prevent Californians from owning gas-powered vehicles. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced in December a plan to ban new gas-powered cars by 2035, as part of the state’s 2050 carbon dioxide.