California Likely to Ban Sales of Gas Powered Cars by 2035

California this week is likely to enact a major rule to ban the sale of gas-powered cars in the state by 2035, multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday. 

The regulation is expected to be handed down by the state’s California Air Resources Board, which is set to vote on the matter on Thursday. Currently, 12 percent of cars sold in California are required to be fossil fuel-free. 

Estimates put the number of fully electric cars on the road in the U.S. at just under one percent. California is estimated to have nearly 30,000,000 drivers registered within the state. 

Supporters of the law praised its ambitious goals. “The climate crisis is solvable if we focus on the big, bold steps necessary to stem the tide of carbon pollution,” Gov. Gavin Newsom told media in a statement. 

Margo Oge, an electric vehicles expert who has worked with the EPA under multiple presidential administrations, told the New York Times that the development was “huge.”

“California will now be the only government in the world that mandates zero-emission vehicles,” she said. “It is unique.”