Nevada is joining 14 other states to adopt Clean Car Standards, which are in opposition to the Trump administration’s recent moves.
The state of Nevada is joining California and more than a dozen other states in a coalition advocating for tougher clean car standards that are supposed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality.
Governor Steve Sisolak is preparing rules that would implement those standards in Nevada. The Clean Car Standards reduce smog and improve air quality by setting a minimum standard for the sale of low-emission vehicles, such as plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles. By 2025, 6% to 8% of all new vehicles shipped for sale in Nevada must fit the low-emission standard.
Nevada is joining 14 other “clean car” states that have adopted LEVs, which represent 36% of the U.S. car-buying market and will be the second clean car state in the Mountain West after Colorado joined the group last year.
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The Clean Car Standards will result in as much as 8% of all new vehicles shipped for sale in Nevada to be low-emission vehicles by 2025.
The standards also bring Nevada into conflict with the Trump administration, which has moved to end California’s ability to set its own emissions standards, including demanding carmakers build electric vehicles.
Several states in the Far West and along the Atlantic Seaboard support the California standards and earlier this year the state of Minnesota also joined the Clean Air Coalition, calling for more stringent controls on emissions.
The decision was hailed by a coalition of 65 different organizations across the state. This is the latest effort by Sisolak expand clean transportation and climate programs in Nevada, including the creation of the Nevada Electric Highway to joining the Nation’s Clean Car Promise, Nevada has been working for years to protect the climate and increase electric vehicle usage.
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“All Nevadans deserve to breathe clean, healthy air – we are on the path, but need strong, bold actions like those announced by Governor Sisolak to ensure we succeed,” said Shannon Proctor, executive director of the American Lung Association in Nevada.
Nevada became the second Mountain West state to adopt the standards, following Colorado, which did so last year.
“The mission of the American Lung Association is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease, and we know that the Nevada Clean Car Standards represent a major step in the right direction.”
The transportation sector is responsible for the greatest share of greenhouse gas emissions in the state, according to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, and this move will help change that, according to Ann Silver, chief executive officer of The Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce.
“As the voice of nearly 2,000 Nevada businesses, the Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce has long supported measures that advance renewable energy, cleaner transportation and energy efficiency, allowing our members to reap the benefits of lower costs, improved infrastructure and a growing workforce,” she said.
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“We are pleased to see Nevada taking steps to set stronger emission standards that can speed up electric vehicle deployment and get our clean energy economy roaring again. Clean Car Standards prepare us for future climate challenges and position our state as a resilient and forward-looking leader.”