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By Oregon Business & Industry [6]
Clean Cars: Formal rulemaking has begun to phase out the sale of petroleum-dependent vehicles through the Advanced Clean Cars II Rulemaking. As with the Clean Trucks Rule adopted in November 2021, DEQ is moving forward in adopting an electric vehicle sales mandate that echoes a California rule. The Clean Air Act allows states to adopt rules identical to those promulgated in California. However, the rule must copy the California regulation, leaving the rulemaking process little flexibility. The rule will impose a sales mandate for electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid plug-in EVs beginning with model year 2026. Thirty Five percent of the total number of vehicles sold in Oregon must be EVs and low emission vehicles. The percentage of EV sales increases each year over a 10-year period with a 100% sales requirement by 2035. This is an ambitious undertaking given that Oregon has been slow to invest in EV charging infrastructure, EV inventories are low and the vast majority of vehicles being manufactured are petroleum dependent. DEQ Director Richard Whitman has indicated that the rule will go to the Environmental Quality Commission for adoption in November.