Donald Trump, President of the United States, is expected to sign on Thursday a set of regulations that will reverse the sale of new cars powered by internal combustion engines starting in 2035 in California.
The state of California decided in 2022 to approve the measure to ban the sale of new diesel or gasoline cars starting in 2035. However, Trump, who has always been against electric mobility, wants to eliminate the incentives and end internal combustion engines in California.
It should be noted that California has the authority to set its own emissions standards; however, Trump reversed that rule during his first term, before the Biden administration reinstated it. This measure could also have broad environmental impacts for the rest of the country, as more than a dozen states are following California’s emissions rules.
The U.S. Senate, led by Republicans, nullified the three emissions exemptions from the Biden era in May, with California Governor Gavin Newsom making it clear at the time that the vote was illegal. However, Republicans circumvented the usual 60-vote threshold required to pass the measure. Democrats argued that this solution would weaken long-standing legislative obstruction, in addition to its environmental impact.
It is worth mentioning that the state of California has annual new car sales exceeding countries like France, Italy, or Spain, surpassing 2 million units sold.
