SACRAMENTO – Taking action to further California’s climate leadership, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed an executive order to boost the supply of zero-emission vehicles and charging and refueling stations in California. The Governor also detailed the new plan for investing $1.25 billion in cap-and-trade auction proceeds to reduce carbon pollution and improve public health and the environment.
“This executive order aims to curb carbon pollution from cars and trucks and boost the number of zero-emission vehicles driven in California,” said Governor Brown. “In addition, the cap-and-trade investments will, in varying degrees, reduce California’s carbon footprint and improve the quality of life for all.”
Zero-Emission Vehicle Executive Order
California is taking action to dramatically reduce carbon emissions from transportation – a sector that accounts for 50 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and 80 percent of smog-forming pollutants.
To continue to meet California’s climate goals and clean air standards, California must go even further to accelerate the market for zero-emission vehicles. Today’s executive order implements the Governor’s call for a new target of 5 million ZEVs in California by 2030, announced in his State of the State address yesterday, and will help significantly expand vehicle charging infrastructure.
The Administration is also proposing a new eight-year initiative to continue the state’s clean vehicle rebates and spur more infrastructure investments. This $2.5 billion initiative will help bring 250,000 vehicle charging stations and 200 hydrogen fueling stations to California by 2025.
Today’s action builds on past efforts to boost zero-emission vehicles, including: legislation signed last year and in 2014 and 2013; adopting the 2016 Zero-Emission Vehicle Plan and the Advanced Clean Cars program; hosting a Zero-Emission Vehicle Summit; launching a multi-state ZEV Action Plan; co-founding the International ZEV Alliance; and issuing Executive Order B-16-12 in 2012 to help bring 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles to California by 2025.
In addition to today’s executive order, the Governor also released the 2018 plan for California’s Climate Investments – a statewide initiative that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment–particularly in disadvantaged communities.
California Climate Investments projects include affordable housing, renewable energy, public transportation, zero-emission vehicles, environmental restoration, more sustainable agriculture and recycling, among other projects. At least 35 percent of these investments are made in disadvantaged and low-income communities.
The $1.25 billion climate investment plan can be found here.
The full text of today’s executive order is below:
EXECUTIVE ORDER B-48-18
WHEREAS California is the largest market in the United States for zero-emission vehicles and approximately half of all zero-emission vehicles in the nation are sold in this state; and
WHEREAS California increased the number of zero-emission vehicles in the state by 1300 percent in six years—growing from 25,000 in 2012 to more than 350,000 today—and zero-emission vehicles now account for approximately 5 percent of all new car sales in California; and
WHEREAS the transportation sector still emits 50 percent of California’s total greenhouse gas emissions and 80 percent of the smog-forming oxides of nitrogen; and
WHEREAS California’s 2017 Climate Change Scoping Plan—which charts the path for meeting the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and air quality goals—calls for major increases in zero-emission vehicles on the roads; and
WHEREAS Executive Order B-16-12 called for 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on California roads by 2025; and
WHEREAS California’s eight-year, $2.5 billion investment plan will help achieve the requirements of Executive Order B-16-12 by 2025 by funding more zero-emission infrastructure and continuing vehicle rebates for consumers; and
WHEREAS California can exceed its existing 2025 zero-emission vehicle goals by increasing the availability of charging and refueling stations and other zero-emission vehicle infrastructure; and
WHEREAS further boosting California’s zero-emission vehicle market will strengthen the economy, improve air quality and public health, lower fuel costs for drivers and reduce the state’s dependence on fossil fuels; and
WHEREAS California must continue to attract and encourage significant investments in zero-emission vehicles and infrastructure from utilities, car manufacturers and vehicle charging and re-fueling companies.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Edmund G. Brown Jr., Governor of the State of California, do hereby issue the following orders to become effective immediately:
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that all State entities work with the private sector and all appropriate levels of government to put at least 5 million zero-emission vehicles on California roads by 2030.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that all State entities work with the private sector and all appropriate levels of government to spur the construction and installation of 200 hydrogen fueling stations and 250,000 zero-emission vehicle chargers, including 10,000 direct current fast chargers, by 2025.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that all State entities continue to partner with regional and local governments to streamline zero-emission vehicle infrastructure installation processes wherever possible. As part of this effort, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development shall publish a Plug-in Charging Station Development Guidebook and update the 2015 Hydrogen Station Permitting Guidebook.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that all State entities, in carrying out programs under their authorities, shall collaborate with stakeholders to implement this order, including but not limited to taking the following actions:
- Update the 2016 Zero-Emission Vehicle Action plan to help expand private investment in zero-emission vehicle infrastructure, particularly in low income and disadvantaged communities.
- Recommend actions that boost zero-emission vehicle infrastructure to strengthen the economy and create jobs in the State of California.
- Recommend ways to expand zero-emission vehicle infrastructure through the Low Carbon Fuel Standard Program.
- Support and recommend policies and actions that make it easier for people to install electric vehicle chargers in their homes and businesses.
- Ensure electric vehicle charging and hydrogen fueling are affordable and more accessible to all drivers.
This Order is not intended to, and does not, create any rights or benefits, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, against the State of California, its agencies, departments, entities, officers, employees, or any other person.
I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this Order be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given to this Order.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 26th day of January, 2018.
California’s Climate Leadership
Governor Brown continues to build strong coalitions of partners committed to curbing carbon pollution in both the United States through the U.S. Climate Alliance and around the globe with the Under2 Coalition. The Governor also joined Michael Bloomberg to launch America’s Pledge on climate change to help compile and quantify the actions of America’s businesses and non-federal jurisdictions to drive down their emissions consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement. This September, the State of California will convene the world’s climate leaders in San Francisco for the Global Climate Action Summit, where representatives from subnational governments, businesses, investors and civil society will gather with the direct goal of supporting the Paris Agreement.
Last year, the Governor – serving as Special Advisor for States and Regions – rallied city, state and regional leaders from around the world at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 23) in Bonn, Germany. Governor Brown also traveled to China to build closer climate ties with President Xi Jinping, Russia to call for deeper trans-pacific collaboration on climate at the Eastern Economic Forum, Canada to officially link California’s carbon market with Quebec and Ontario and the Vatican to deliver keynote remarks at a climate symposium hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
In recent years, Governor Brown has signed landmark legislation that extends and improves the state’s world-leading cap-and-trade program and establishes a groundbreaking program to measure and combat air pollution at the neighborhood level, as well as legislation establishing the most ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction targets in North America; setting the nation’s toughest restrictions on destructive super pollutants; directing cap-and-trade funds to greenhouse gas reducing programs which benefit disadvantaged communities, support clean transportation and protect natural ecosystems; and requiring the state to generate half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and double the rate of energy efficiency savings in buildings.
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