Environmental activist groups petitioned the Illinois Pollution Control Board to reduce the sale of gas- and diesel-powered vehicles by adopting California’s vehicle-emissions standards.
These standards, if implemented in Illinois, would:
- Require Illinois to phase out the sale of traditional gas-powered cars, trucks, and SUVs by 2035.
- Mandate that 75% of all new heavy-duty truck sales (Class 4-8) and 40% of truck tractor sales must be zero emission by 2035.
A similar proposal failed to advance in the Illinois General Assembly this spring. Following this legislative setback, the activist groups opted to pursue their agenda through the bureaucratic process.
If adopted, these policies would drive up the cost of doing business for small-business owners across the state, forcing them to purchase less efficient but more expensive electric vehicles and increasing transportation costs.
The activist groups included, among others, the Sierra Club, the Chicago Environmental Justice Network, and the Environmental Defense Fund.
