Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) surprised an audience of electric vehicle supporters on Tuesday by announcing it was not the right time for the state to adopt a new bill that would impose California’s emission standards.
Pritzker, who maintained that the state was still devoted to replacing gas cars with electric vehicles, said there were other incentives to transition the state to EVs.
“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,” Pritzker said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Normal, Illinois. “We have created incentives … sort of carrots rather than sticks to move people in the right direction.”
The comment comes as three bills in the state legislature seek to adopt California’s emission standards for EVs, which would, in part, limit the types of trucks and cars that the trucking industry can use. But the most recent bill, which Pritzker referred to directly, also gives Illinois’s Environmental Protection Agency six months to amend the state’s vehicle emissions standard whenever California changes its rules.
A separate state Senate bill would require Illinois to implement California’s Advanced Clean Cars program regulations, which mandate manufacturers to sell an increasing number of EVs each year, along with California’s emission standards, according to the Center Square.
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Republicans in Virginia have been attempting to roll back their state’s electric vehicle mandate, which requires the state to comport its standards with California’s. The Golden State has a special waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency to set its own Clean Air Act standards. However, Republicans have faced strong opposition from Democrats, who have blocked GOP efforts at least twice.
At least 17 states and Washington, D.C., have linked their emissions mandate to California’s so far.
