October 20, 2023
The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission today unanimously approved a new Colorado Clean Cars rule, which will require 82% of new vehicles sold in the state by 2032 to be zero-emission. The commission also directed the state Air Protection Control Division to begin a second rulemaking by 2029 for the later years of the rule, ensuring time for a future commission to review adoption of a 100% clean car standard. Colorado is the first state in the U.S. to adopt a partial clean cars rule; seven states around the nation have adopted the more comprehensive Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC2) rules, which require 100% of new cars sold to be zero-emission by 2035.
In April, the commission unanimously approved Advanced Clean Trucks and Low-NOx rules, which will require manufacturers of trucks, buses, and vans to ensure that a certain percentage of their new sales are from zero-emission vehicles and require stronger pollution controls on new diesel engines. With the new Colorado Clean Cars rule, the state is taking important steps to reduce pollution from the transportation sector, the largest source of climate-warming emissions. In addition, the state can take advantage of incentives and federal funding to scale up zero-emission car sales at a faster pace.
WRA and other conservation groups urged the commission to approve the more comprehensive ACC2 rule. According to a study by the modeling firm ERM, if Colorado adopted the stronger rule, the state would reap between $90-95 billion in net benefits by 2050, as opposed to $72.5 billion under the partial rule.
To access the rulemaking files and testimony, click here.
Contact
James Quirk, 908-902-3177, james.quirk@westernresources.org
