The grassroots environmental organization Sierra Club is espousing the benefits of the Virginia legislature passing a measure adopting clean car standards, joining 14 other states and the District of Columbia.
HB 1965 directs the State Air Pollution Control Board to implement a low-emissions and zero-emissions vehicle program for motor vehicles with a model year of 2025 and later. The legislation was supported by a coalition that included environmental and environmental justice advocates, health professionals, businesses, and auto dealers.
“Our state lawmakers put Virginia on the path to be the first state in the Southeast to adopt clean car standards,” Kelsey Crane, Sierra Club Virginia Campaign and Policy director, said. “Coming into the 2021 session, the environmental community made it clear that lawmakers can’t commit to protecting the health of Virginians without addressing transportation pollution. Adopting clean cars standards will create jobs, save lives, and help preserve our climate. We commend the state legislature for adopting policy that puts climate action, communities, and public health first, and we are hopeful that Gov. (Ralph) Northam will sign the clean car standards bill into law.”
Sierra Club officials cited a Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action analysis that determined fine particulate matter pollution from Virginia’s cars and light trucks contributed to 92 deaths, 71 non-fatal heart attacks, and 2,600 child asthma attacks annually.
“The clean transportation future is here, and Virginia has answered the call for cleaner vehicles,” said Rebekah Whilden, campaign representative with the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign. “Momentum is building across the nation, as more and more states and territories move forward with bold, life-saving policies to accelerate electric vehicle adoption and reduce dangerous transportation pollution. This bill will ensure Virginians don’t have to travel out of the state to purchase electric vehicles.”