A California state board voted Aug. 25 to require all new cars, pickups and SUVs to be electric by 2035, effectively setting the same policy for Washington.

Gov. Jay Inslee said in a tweet that Washington will adopt the same regulations by the end of the year. “This is a critical milestone in our climate fight,” he said.

The Democratic-controlled Legislature in 2020 committed Washington to automatically changing its vehicle-emission rules to match rules adopted by the California Air Resources Board.

The California board has 14-voting members appointed by the governor, Senate and Assembly. Board chairwoman Liane Randolph called the unanimous vote “world changing.”

Inslee spokesman Mike Faulk said the Department of Ecology will initiate rule-making to adopt California standards. A public comment period likely will open in early September, he said.

The Washington Legislature this year set a “target” for all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks to be electric by 2030. State agencies were told to come up with a “scoping plan.”

California’s vote sets a mandate for zero-emission vehicles. The board cited its authority coming from an executive order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Pushback

“We’ve basically given up our sovereignty,” said Washington state Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake. “It’s absolutely wrong what’s happening here.”

According to the California rule, the electric vehicles must be able to travel at least 150 miles on a charge. Dent said 150 miles pass quickly outside urban areas.

“It just doesn’t work for rural America, agricultural America,” he said. “It’s not that unusual to drive to Montana to pick up parts.”

The California Farm Bureau opposed the mandate at a public hearing that preceded the vote, warning that farmworkers will be hurt and that farmers will be more dependent on an electric grid prone to blackouts.

The African American Farmers of California and the Nisei Farmers League submitted comments criticizing the mandate.

“As gas-powered vehicles become scarcer, will used electric vehicles be affordable for farmworkers?” asked Nisei Farmers, founded by Japanese-American growers in California.

“Will they withstand the dirt roads and neglected roads that California farmworkers drive to reach job sites?” the league asked.

WA legislation

Senate Bill 5811, passed by the Washington Legislature in 2020 on mostly party-line votes in the House and Senate, committed the state to mirroring California’s vehicle-emission laws.

Democrats said the bill was necessary because climate change is a crisis. Republicans complained that letting California dictate changes in Washington law was fundamentally wrong.

According to the Washington Department of Licensing, the most-popular electric car registered in the state is the Model 3 Tesla. The retail price of the 2022 model starts at $48,490, according to Kelley Blue Book.