Utilities join CA & CO against plan to force states to abandon Zero Emission Vehicle Standards
There is a very complicated legal fight underway pitting California against the Trump Administration (covered in: www.eenews.net/climatewire/2019/12/05/stories/1061727197). We have a dog in this fight because Colorado has chosen to follow the California rules on sales of zero emission vehicles (called the ZEV standard). It was in the news today (12/5/19) because a suite of electric utilities known formally as the “Power Companies” (Consolidated Edison, New York Power Authority, etc.) joined the legal battle on the side of California/Colorado, arguing that “ ZEV standards — regardless of changes in political leadership at the federal level – [have] provided the long-term certainty needed for the Power Companies to incorporate electrification of the transportation sector as a critical component of their business models and investment strategies.”
In other words, the electric utilities would like to promote electric vehicles, but the Trump Administration’s proposed rule would undermine the adoption of electric vehicles and therefore hurt electric power sales. This legal battle has major implications for global air quality, and will likely be fought all the way to the Supreme Court, unless Trump loses the upcoming election and the new President vacates the suit.
Compiled and summarized by Gordon Rodda
