ZERO EMISSION VEHICLE PROGRAM

Description:  Adopt California’s zero emission vehicle (ZEV) program that requires a minimum percentage of new vehicles sold in the state to qualify as zero emissions.

Why This Should Be Supported:  The sales of electric vehicles are just now ramping up.  The experience in California and various studies indicate that a ZEV mandate expands the set of electric vehicles available for sale in Washington as well as ensuring a floor in the number of electric vehicles sold annually.  It helps Washington reduce air and ground water pollution saving lives and reducing health care costs.  Strong sales of electric vehicles need to continue for a number of more years before they will become more accepted by consumers.

Options:  None.

Estimated State Costs:  $?? (need funding for Dept of Ecology? to monitor and control ZEV reporting)

Legislative Summary:  Washington can’t deviate from California’s ZEV mandate.  From a report by the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis, California:

“The federal Clean Air Quality Act (CAA) of 1967 sets tailpipe emission standards, and preempted all states except for California from regulating mobile source emissions. Under this legislation, California could continue to pursue its own regulations as long as they were more stringent then federal standards and provided that California could demonstrate compelling and extraordinary circumstances that necessitated the stronger standards. All other states can choose to either adopt California or federal standards but cannot set their own unique standards.  (source:  http://www.its.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/themes/ucdavis/pubs/download_pdf.php?id=1940)”

RCW 70.120A.010 states:

“Notwithstanding other provisions of this chapter, the department of ecology shall not adopt the zero emission vehicle program regulations contained in Title 13 section 1962 of the California Code of Regulations effective January 1, 2005.”

We believe all that is required is to modify or simply strike the “not” in the above sentence and to provide funding to administer the program.