Washington State Attempts to Ban Gas-Powered Cars Again

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

Once again, the Washington state legislature is looking to pass a bill that would ban the sale of new gas- and diesel-powered vehicles in the state by 2030. The legislation, which is known as Clean Cars 2030, was passed by the state legislature and placed into the state's supplemental transportation budget earlier this month, claims Green Car Reports. The legislation looks to ban the sale of new vehicles with an internal combustion engine by 2030m but would exclude vehicles that weigh more than 10,000 pounds.


New Bill To Ban Gas Cars


The bill could be signed into law by Washington state's governor, Jay Inslee. This represents the second time that legislatures in Washington state have tried to pass a bill proposing that the state ban the sale of new vehicles with an internal combustion engine by 2030. The first time was last year, but the bill was vetoed by the governor because it included a road-usage charge that he opposed.


Last year's bill was looking to phase out the sale of new vehicles with an internal combustion engine, except for vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds, through legislation. This is different from California's bill that would do the same thing by 2035 via executive action. The difference is that Washington state's bill allows it to enforce the far better than California. The main issue for Washington state is that it's trying to find a way to fund road maintenance, which currently comes from a tax on gasoline.


This is the issue that held up the first bill from passing. The bill stopped making ground after it garnered 54-43 votes in the state House and 25-23 votes in the state Senate. Wording in the previous bill required that 75 percent of the vehicles in the state be a part of a road usage charge scheme to replace the outgoing tax on gasoline.


A Second Attempt


"Once a road usage charge, or equivalent fee or tax based on vehicle miles traveled, is in effect in the state of Washington with at least 75% of the registered passenger and light-duty vehicles in the state participating, then a goal is established for the state that all publicly owned and privately owned passenger and light-duty vehicles of model year 2030 or later that are sold, purchased, or registered in Washington state be electric vehicles," stated the bill in 2021.


The 2022 bill is now a part of a $16.9 billion legislative package called Move Ahead Washington. It doesn't have a separate road usage tax, but instead calls for a plan to be created by an interagency electric-vehicle coordinating council that will be led by the Washington state departments of commerce and transportation, reports Autoweek.


If the new bill is signed into law, it would put Washington state on the map for having one of the earliest and most comprehensive plans to ban the sale of new vehicles with an internal combustion engine.

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods