EPA Administrator Criticizes Newsom’s Clean Air Vehicle Directive

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Washington, DC — The chief of the US Environmental Protection Agency has written a pointed letter to Governor Gavin Newsom critical of his directive banning the sale of new gas-powered cars after 2035.

President Donald Trump’s appointed EPA Administrator, Andrew Wheeler, argues that California is already facing a record level of “rolling blackouts” and it is impractical to power all vehicles by electricity. He writes to Newsom, “It begs the question of how you expect to run an electric car fleet that will come with significant increases in electricity demand, when you can’t even keep the lights on today.”

The letter also states that there are “significant questions of legality” regarding the action, and says California does not have the infrastructure in place to recharge all of the vehicles.

Governor Newsom cited the recent wildfires as a reason to increase the state’s climate change-related initiatives.