On behalf of the Los
Angeles Business Council (LABC), we would like to encourage The Air
Resources Board (CARB) to further develop the Advanced Clean Cars
II program to include stronger pollution-free car sales before the
end of the decade. The proposed update to the Advanced Clean
Cars program has targets for pollution-free car sales that are far
below what the Air Resources Board stated was needed to reach our
state’s air quality and climate goals. The LABC strongly
supports strengthening interim sales targets for electric cars to
at least 75% in 2030 to ensure that overall ZEV sales requirements
meet the emission reduction targets CARB established.
Threatened with the
climate crisis, California continues to deal with unprecedented
drought, wildfires, high heat days and increasing air pollution.
Gavin Newsom’s executive order N-79-20,
directing the state to require sales of all
new passenger vehicles to be zero-emission by 2035, puts
California on the right path towards dramatically reducing
pollution across its communities while making the state more
resilient when faced with a changing climate. Setting an interim target of 75% of all new passenger
vehicles to be zero-emission by 2030, will not only help California
reach its 2035 zero-emission car sale goals but will also
reinforce California as the nation’s leader in
reducing our carbon output and advancing policies that lay the
groundwork for a more vibrant, inclusive green economy.
In partnership with the GOBiz ZEV Team and the UCLA
Luskin Center for Innovation, the LABC Institute conducted a study
called “An Agenda for Equity-Centered Clean
Transportation” which found that California cannot achieve
its goal of transitioning every vehicle to zero-emissions
technologies without proactively creating policies that make clean
transportation options truly accessible and practical for priority
communities. For this reason, the LABC would also like to encourage
that the Advanced Clean Cars II program also include equity
provisions that will prioritize California’s
pollution-burdened communities. LABC strongly supports ACC II
standards that are equity centered and that maximize access,
affordability, and direct benefits to Disadvantaged Communities.
Currently, the proposed rule has voluntary equity provisions for
carmakers, which in turn do not guarantee emissions reductions in
communities historically overburdened with transportation
pollution. The most effective way to ensure ZEV deliveries to
overburdened communities within the rule is to make these
provisions mandatory.
According
to the American Lung Association, California has 6 out of the 10
most polluted cities in the country, with Los Angeles being dead
last. It is crucial to implement an equitable statewide
electric vehicle infrastructure plan
that will help California dramatically improve its air quality.
With the average ownership/lease for a new car being about 6 years,
California has the opportunity of eliminating millions of fossil
fuel burning cars by increasing the sales of pollution-free
vehicles while also increasing accessibility to these
pollution-free vehicles throughout all
communities.
We strongly encourage the
Air Resources Board to set stronger air pollution standards
throughout California. With stronger zero-emission sale targets
that prioritize Disadvantaged Communities, California will be able
to reach its air quality and climate goals while transitioning to a
clean transportation future.
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