IL lawmakers weighing zero-emission standards for vehicles
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — A group of progressive lawmakers in Springfield want to change Illinois’ emissions standards to match California’s. That would mean phasing out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles.
In 2022, California adopted standards that would require all pickup trucks, SUVs and cars sold to be zero-emissions by 2035. Instead, drivers can buy new electric or hydrogen powered vehicles.
“Transportation is the single largest source of climate warming emissions in Illinois,” said Muhammed Patel, a transportation advocate for the Midwest Branch of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Illinois could soon follow suit. A bill in the Capitol would lead the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to adopt and implement California’s emissions standards.
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Advocates believe that if Illinois adopted the same guidelines, it could reduce Illinois’ carbon emissions by more than 75 percent.
“What the vehicle emissions standards do is create a new market for zero-emission vehicles and give us a planned and phased approach to transitioning away from dirty, polluting vehicles that are harming our health, to a cleaner transportation economy,” Patel said.
But not everyone is on board. The bill has been met with major pushback from some lawmakers and the Illinois Farm Bureau. They have major concerns.
“How much more do you want people to pay?” asked State Senator Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet).
Under the proposal, opponents say trucks made before 2010 would be banned from Illinois roads, which could cause prices for everyday goods to go up.
“How are you going to get those things to Illinois?” Rose asked. “You’re going to squeeze them into the very few trucks that are available that were built after that time? Are you going to buy brand new trucks? How much does that cost?”
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The Illinois Farm Bureau is also sounding the alarm. They said farmers rely on older equipment and trucks.
“Those would be immediately illegal and worthless in Illinois,” Chris Davis, the director of state legislation with the Illinois Farm Bureau, said. “They could retrofit those engines to meet standards. However, even that comes with the cost.”
Earlier this week, Governor J.B. Pritzker was asked whether the state should adopt California’s standards.
“I personally think now is not the right time for us to do that. Having said that, that’s ultimately the goal,” Pritzker said. “It’s not so much joining another state in their standard. It’s just a question of, we ultimately need to replace fossil fuel emitting vehicles in this country and so we want to be a part of that in the state of Illinois.”
California’s standards have two grandfather clauses that apply to gas-powered cars built and sold before 2035. Under these clauses, used cars can continue to be sold and pre-2035 gas vehicles will remain street legal. The same clauses would take effect in Illinois if the standards become law.
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