October 21, 20220 10:50 a.m.

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley has introduced legislation to end the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles in the United States, by 2035.

The Zero-Emission Vehicles Act of 2020 was also proposed in the House by California Representative Mike Levin. A release called the idea “path-breaking legislation that could create jobs, improve health and address climate chaos”.

The release said pollution created by gasoline engines “…is widely understood by the medical community to cause premature deaths and asthma attacks, and may also increase mortality among coronavirus patients”. It said 1 in 13 Americans live with asthma, and millions of Americans who have had the coronavirus may suffer from long-term respiratory complications.

The release said carbon pollution from cars is also a leading cause of the climate crisis that has “…been driving catastrophic storms, wildfires, heat waves and droughts”.

Merkley said “If we don’t make things in America, we won’t have a middle class in America”. He said “And if we don’t save our planet from climate chaos, our entire economy and our nation’s public health will end up in shambles”. He said the whole world, ”…with a few science-denying holdouts in America”, recognizes the imperative of ending carbon pollution. Merkley said by moving aggressively and boldly now, Americans can be saved from the “…dire health and economic impacts of the climate crisis, and make sure American workers are the ones building the next generation of cars for the world”.

The release said the proposal would require that by 2025, 50 percent of sales for new passenger vehicles are zero-emission vehicles with that figure being ramped up 5 percent each year to 100 percent in 2035. The standard would only be applied to the sale of new cars.