Sacramento – Shortly after being sworn in today, Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) renewed efforts to fight global warming with cleaner cars. He introduced AB 40 for 2040, which requires the California Air Resources Board to develop a comprehensive state strategy to achieve complete electrification of the transportation sector in 22 years, by year 2040.
“Much of the research today says climate change is happening at a much faster rate than anticipated. Since transportation accounts for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions and 80% of transportation emissions come from passenger vehicles, our vehicles are both the problem and solution. Cleaner cars would make the biggest impact in reducing this pollution,” said Ting.
The urgency to adopt zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) more aggressively is highlighted in last month’s federal report that delivered a dire warning about the consequences of climate change if we don’t act, including greater instances of illness and premature deaths. 
“It’s clear that we need to shift to zero-polluting electric cars and trucks. We simply have to stop exposing children to harmful air pollution and to stop wrapping the planet in climate pollution,” said Kathryn Phillips, Director of Sierra Club California. “The question is not whether we will have an electric car future or even when. The question is how do we get there as quickly as possible? This bill will help answer that.”
The global car market is already moving toward ZEVs. National governments, including Great Britain, France, China, Norway, Ireland, Netherlands and India, have announced policies to electrify vehicles. At the state and local levels, bans on gas and diesel powered vehicles have been announced by the Canadian Province of British Columbia and the cities of Copenhagen, Rome, Athens, Paris, Madrid, Mexico City, and Brussels.
“Moving toward a clean cars future is not just important, it's necessary,” said Mary Creasman, CEO of the California League of Conservation Voters. “With climate change impacts worsening daily and federal progress on clean cars being gutted, California must take bold action.”
AB 40 requires the report to be completed by 2021 and is one of many Ting bills intended to put California on a path to cleaner cars.
# # # # #