Trump officials attack California EV plan

Trump administration officials are lining up to attack California’s plan to ban internal combustion engines by 2035.

As reported here, California governor Gavin Newsom made the shock announcement earlier this week that the state would ban ICE sales in 2035 and start the phase-out of “gas engines”.

First off the block in denouncing the move was Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) secretary Andrew Wheeler, who questioned both its legality and practicality.

In a letter quoted by the Reuters news service, Wheeler told Newsom:

“California’s record of rolling blackouts – unprecedented in size and scope – coupled with recent requests to neighboring states for power begs the question of how you expect to run an electric car fleet that will come with significant increases in electricity demand, when you can’t even keep the lights on today.”

Wheeler, a former coal industry executive, also said the move would be subject to federal approval, saying it “may require California to request a waiver to US EPA”.

Traditionally an enforcer of stricter environmental standards including lower vehicle emissions, the EPA has become an environmental deregulator under the Trump administration.

It has eased future vehicles emissions limits set by the Obama administration and tried to revoke California’s clean air act waiver, which allows the state to set its own stricter emissions standard and mandate the sale of EVs. Legal action is pending in that case.

Some auto manufacturers including Ford, Honda and Volkswagen have agreed to abide by the tougher California standards.

U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette also weighed in, telling the Automotive News Daily Drive podcast when asked about the 2035 target:

“They are not going to achieve it, we need to be honest about that and talk to them about the reality of the world in which they are trying to live.

“The fact of the matter is today California doesn’t have the electricity generation it needs to keep the lights on today, so to have a top-down government mandate that people purchase electric vehicles – at least in today’s world – doesn’t make a  lot of sense.

“The issue is whether government should dictate what sort of cars consumers should drive.”

Brouillette said he had no issue with California’s desire to lower emissions levels, but claimed the state’s ambition to rely entirely on renewables to generate electricity was not currently achievable.

Reuters reports that California on two days last month imposed rolling blackouts on about 400,000 customers during an oppressive heat wave.

The state’s grid operator blamed outages on a gas plant suddenly dropping offline, low wind power and a lack of imported electricity from other states due to scorching temperatures across the West.

The criticisms of California comes as President Trump fights for votes in the mid-west swing states that are home to much of the US auto manufacturing industry and crucial to his re-election chances.

California is traditionally a Democratic state and expected to support Trump’s opponent Joe Biden in the November 3 Presidential election.