The two U.S. senators in California are pressing President Joe Biden to release a firm end date for gas car sales, as the White House works to re-write emissions guidelines removed by Donald Trump, according to an unreported letter going to Biden Monday (via Reuters).
In the letter, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Diane Feinstein write, “We believe the national baseline should, at an absolute minimum, be built around the technical lead set by companies that voluntarily advanced their agreements with California,” adding, “California and other states need a strong federal partner.”
Tesla Buyers May See $7,000 Tax Credits from President Biden Soon https://t.co/HCaFyYTnkm
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) February 11, 2021
Last September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order effectively banning the sale of new gas cars in the state by 2035. The decision bodes well for the long term future of EV automakers including Tesla.
Earlier this year, President Biden signed an executive order for his Buy American plan, which replaced old federal vehicles with EVs, with hopes to also bolster clean energy businesses to help create millions of jobs. The plan was later backed by Elon Musk, who said he was “super fired up” at the legislation.
After taking office, President Biden also ordered U.S. agencies to revisit fuel efficiency standards by July, after the Trump administration rolled back fuel economy standards in March 2020, which would have effectively required 1.5% annual increases in efficiency through 2026 – far below the 5% yearly boosts the administration discarded from Obama’s presidency.
