While California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced this week that the state would double down on efforts to cut down on the use of fossil fuels amid actions from President Donald Trump, is that what Californians really want?
KCBS Radio’s Steve Scott noted that “polls show that Californians are very serious about climate change,” but that “they’re not so supportive of the law that would have banned the sale of new gas vehicles in the state by 2035.”
That rule – the first of its kind in the nation, according to The Guardian – is the one that Trump overturned this week with Congressional approval. Scott said the state has already filed a suit to have the law upheld.
“Following President Trump’s signing of illegal Congressional resolutions attempting to roll back California’s clean cars and trucks program and make the state smoggy again, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed an executive order doubling down on the state’s efforts to transition away from fossil fuels,” said a Thursday press release from the governor’s office. “This action builds on the lawsuit Governor Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta filed earlier today against the Trump administration to protect California’s clean air authority. It also follows last month’s announcement that California and 10 other states launched a coalition to continue advancing clean cars.”
Political insider Phil Matier joined Scott to take a closer look at the issue, particularly what Californians really seem to think about a push towards electric vehicles.
“Well, it comes down to a pretty simple equation. They agree – like he said, 71% or 77% of support and say that climate change is a serious problem – but how to fix that problem is a different issue and only 39%...
think that it would be done by banning gas sale of gas using cars,” Matier explained.
Currently, around a quarter of the cars sold in California are electric vehicles, he added. That gives the state under 10 years to switch most of its car sales over to EV.
“The public’s just not ready to make that big jump to the EV market,” Matier told Scott. “So, you know, in some ways this could be a blessing for the state in a way that says: ‘You’re off the hook on trying to meet this goal that you probably weren’t going to meet.’”
Still, Matier doesn’t expect Newsom or state leaders to back down from the established EV plans.
“But there is a bit of a disconnect between what state officials think and what the public thinks,” he said. “And for example, you know, state officials have not been paying much attention about our gas problems with our refinery shutting down because there was the hope that by now we were going to be using a lot less gas.”
Matier is interested to see how those officials handle the possibility of ultimately not being able to enforce the mandate.
“What can we put in its place?” he asked.
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