Oregon Starts Phasing Out Gas-Power Vehicles to Meet Air-Quality Goals
Gas-powered vehicles will soon be a thing of the past in Oregon.
A new rule adopted on Dec. 19 by Oregon’s Environmental Quality Commission bans the sale of new gas-powered vehicles and requires all new cars, trucks, and SUVs sold in the state to be “Zero Emission Vehicles” (ZEVS) by 2035.
The rule is based on vehicle emissions standards adopted by California in August.
Automakers will have two years to plan for the first compliance step of the new rule, which begins with passenger vehicles in the 2026 model year.
“Reducing emissions from gas cars is imperative to meeting Oregon’s climate and air-quality goals,” the five-person commission appointed by Democrat Gov. Kate Brown to serve as the Oregon DEQ’s rule-making board wrote when it announced the rule….