In a move that’s good news for drivers nationwide, Virginia has declared its independence from California’s latest automotive standards. Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday that, starting next year, their state will comply with federal standards.
“[Electric vehicle] mandates like California’s are unworkable and out of touch with reality, and thankfully the law does not bind us to their regulations,” Miyares said in a written statement.
The previous Virginia governor, Democrat Ralph Northam, signed a bill in 2021 to embrace the automobile standards of the California Air Resource Board.
These 2021 standards would have forced auto dealers to sell a certain share of battery-powered cars in 2025 or face penalties. But California’s new Advanced Clean Car II standards, passed in 2022, require 35% of new passenger…
