New Mexico becomes the newest Clean Cars state

Fifteen states plus the District of Columbia have now adopted Clean Cars rules, based on California’s emissions and fuel economy standards. New Mexico recently joined the club—the state Environmental Improvement Board, along with the City of Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board unanimously voted to adopt Clean Cars standards following “a robust stakeholder engagement process over the past year.”

Above: A look at the Tesla Model 3 (Flickr: Bill Abbott)

The Clean Cars standards consist of Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) and Low-Emission Vehicle (LEV) standards. The former requires automakers to sell increasing numbers of plug-in vehicles, and the latter mandates reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants.

The new rules will go into effect for model year 2026.

The New Mexico Clean Cars Clean Air coalition, which consists of more than 35 businesses, nonprofit organizations, local agencies and unions, supported the rulemaking process. 

👏👏👏 Thanks to @GovMLG and @MayorKeller for making NM a clean cars state! Your leadership on climate & a clean economy will benefit New Mexicans across the state for generations to come https://t.co/HNgO6LQcvT#NMCleanCars #CleanAir #NMPol #ClimateActionNow #ProtectPublicHealth pic.twitter.com/D0XAwcb3RY

— NMCleanCarsCleanAir (@NMCleanCars) May 5, 2022

“We applaud the administrations of Governor Lujan Grisham and Albuquerque’s Mayor Tim Keller for taking this important step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions at least 26% by 2025 in line with the Paris Agreement,” says Dr. Virginia Necochea of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center.

“More than 900 New Mexicans submitted comments supporting these standards,” says Ken Hughes of the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter. “The American Lung Association has found that electrification will save New Mexicans $3 billion and save 273 lives.”

“We look forward to working with the state to build on this momentum and bring forward Advanced Clean Trucks and Advanced Clean Cars II standards,” says Aaron Kressig of Western Resource Advocates.

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This article originally appeared in Charged. Author: Charles Morris. Source: New Mexico Clean Cars Clean Air Coalition