Dear Members,
I’m sure by now that most of you have heard that yesterday, Governor Gavin Newsom released an Executive Order announcing the elimination of the sales of the internal combustion engine by 2035. The Governor stated that transportation contributed to over 50% of California’s greenhouse gas emissions. Californians will be permitted to keep their internal combustion engines, and the used car sales will remain open and available for these engines. Also, the State will require that 100% of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles will become zero-emissions by 2045 for all operations feasible. While Executive Orders carry significant weight, they do not have the same power as legislation. It’s also likely that without subsequent legislation, the Air Resources Board will cite the Federal Clean Air Act and/or climate legislation already in place to carry out regulations.
“Following the order, the California Air Resources Board will develop regulations to mandate that 100 percent of in-state sales of new passenger cars and trucks are zero-emission by 2035 – a target which would achieve more than a 35 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an 80 percent improvement in oxides of nitrogen emissions from cars statewide. In addition, the Air Resources Board will develop regulations to mandate that all operations of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles shall be 100 percent zero emission by 2045 where feasible, with the mandate going into effect by 2035 for drayage trucks.”
I can assure you that we at California Citrus Mutual understand the complete impracticality of this Executive Order. What is not feasible or cost-effective in urban settings is even more impractical in our rural areas. A typical response to our concerns by some is to go solar. While this works in some situations, you can’t run a wind machine in the middle of the night off the sun. Nor can our tractors and diesel trucks run off of a Tesla battery that powers a small vehicle.
Elected officials, especially those in urban California, have and will continue to push for the green economy without much understanding of the real impacts to the real “green economy” that is agriculture. Especially with election-year politics and with a Governor that is mapping out his future campaign for President.
This order and the subsequent actions that will be undertaken underscore the need for all of us to engage effectively. Your team at CCM has already begun engaging with the administration and will continue to do so, working with others in agriculture and business to push back strategically. As always, please feel free to call the office if you have questions or concerns about this topic or any other.
Sincerely,
Casey Creamer
President/CEO
Articles are property of CCM; please seek permission from CCM for the use of articles.
