Virginia won’t follow California electric/hybrid vehicle mandates, Youngkin says

NORFOLK, Va. – — Virginia won’t follow California’s vehicle mandates and will instead follow less stringent federal regulations, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday morning.

Virginia lawmakers passed a law in 2021 that said State Air Pollution Control Board had to implement a program requiring a certain percentage of new vehicles be electric or hybrid starting in 2025.

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The law also put Virginia on a path to follow California’s vehicle standards, which includes a provision mandating all new vehicles sold starting in 2035 to run on hydrogen or electricity.

“The idea that government should tell people what kind of car they can or can’t purchase is fundamentally wrong,” Youngkin said in a statement Wednesday.

Attorney General Jason Miyares issued an opinion that said the law as written does not mandate Virginia follow California’s regulations beyond the end of this year.

“EV mandates like California’s are unworkable and out of touch with reality, and thankfully the law does not bind us to their regulations,” said Miyares.

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Supporters of the bill said it was an effort to address pollution.

Since taking office in 2022, Gov. Youngkin made it clear he was not a fan of the law, but for three straight years the Democrat controlled Virginia Senate has blocked GOP-backed bills to repeal the mandates.

Virginia Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Scott Surovell said “even Vladimir Putin does not claim to have this much power.”

“We fought a war in 1776 to ensure that an executive would never have the powers that Governor Youngkin nullify laws by press conference,” Surovell continued.

The governor is scheduled to further discuss his announcements during an event on Wednesday afternoon.