California lawmakers have been trying to push through a bill that will mandate a 50% reduction in motor vehicle oil use by 2030, but industry opposition has led Senate leader and Los Angeles Democrat Kevin de León make amendments to the proposed legislation. According to the Sacramento Bee, these changes include “exit strategies and offramps” from the trajectory of cuts if California’s economy goes south.
While the reductions alone have spurred backlash from industry, many also reject the increased power the proposed law would give the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The loudest opposition to the bill has come from the energy sector, which maintains that the bill would allow CARB to ration gas and levy fees for gas guzzlers. And plenty of economists and conservatives have called this the equivalent of a gas tax that will hurt the middle and lower classes disproportionately.
“The damage to individuals, and businesses, will be catastrophic if this bill passes,” wrote Megan Toombs of TownHall.com. “It could turn the steady stream of people leaving California into a veritable tidal wave … Gas taxes are always regressive, hitting those who spend a larger percent of their income the hardest. Poorer people also have older cars, cars that will no longer meet state standards, and that will be forced off the road. How can people barely making enough money to feed their families afford an electric vehicle with a price tag of $50,000?”
Despite their admission that the teeth of the bill needed to be blunted, its supporters remain confident they will get it passed. That remains to be seen, but neither side is giving up without a fight. “We have our work cut out for us, there’s no doubt about it,” said de León said.
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