Massachusetts to Require All Car Sales to Be Electric by 2035

Massachusetts plans on ending the sale of all gas-guzzling vehicles by 2035 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Kathleen Theoharides released a proposal last week that outlined the state’s goals in 2030 and further into the future.

“For the Commonwealth to achieve Net Zero, fossil fuel use must be all but completely eliminated in on-road vehicles by 2050,” according to the report.

“Given the cost and scarcity of low-or zero-carbon drop-in replacement fuels and the current market and growing availability of high- efficiency battery-electric and other zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) alternatives, this likely means reaching near complete electrification of the light-duty fleet,” the report added.

The state also seeks to have 30 percent of all sales of trucks and buses be zero-emission vehicles by 2030, with the goal of reaching 100 percent by 2050.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), who is on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, tweeted in favor of the news out of Massachusetts on Tuesday:

Bravo Massachusetts! Now, it’s time for the entire nation to take that same step by passing my Zero Emissions Vehicles Act. ZEVs will help reduce harmful carbon pollution in our transportation system, improve public health & create the jobs of the future right here in America. https://t.co/iMIfei3DxA

— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) January 5, 2021

Massachusetts is not the only state to propose shifting away from fossil fuels in favor of zero-emission vehicles.

Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in September to phase out the sale of gas-powered passenger vehicles by 2035 and heavy-duty vehicles by 2045.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, also a Democrat, has supported similar proposals, but New Jersey has not yet issued a proposal.