DETROIT (WXYZ) — It was just a few weeks ago that California’s governor signed an executive order requiring that all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the state be zero-emission vehicles by 2035.
7 Action News reporter Ali Hoxie went digging to find out if Michigan could see the same type of legislation here.
“The California executive order wasn’t 100 percent out of left field,” said Chief Mobility Officer for Michigan Trevor Pawl.
Pawl was appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to the newly developed department, the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, back in July. The goal is to explore the future of transportation using electrification.
According to Pawl, an executive order like the one in California is unlikely here in the state of Michigan.
California Executive Order by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
“Restricting gasoline powered vehicles in Michigan at this time may hurt our transportation networks that are existing in our economy. We don’t want to solve one problem just to create another, that said as of 2017 CO2 from transpiration has exceeded CO2 from the built infrastructure,” said Pawl.
He says California’s executive order was needed for multiple reasons, one of which includes helping with wild fires hitting the state.
According to the California governor's office, the effort is aimed at curbing carbon emissions in the country's most populous state, as well as addressing the climate change crisis. The transportation sector is responsible for more than half of the state's carbon pollution.
As for Michigan’s carbon emissions issues, Governor Whitmer has signed an executive order to create the “Michigan Healthy Climate Plan.”
“Our governor signed an executive order creating an office of climate and energy, and ultimately creating a plan to make Michigan carbon neutral by 2050,” said Pawl.
As for the Big 3, Pawl predicts they will be able to keep up with these changing times with more investments going into electric cars.
He also says Michigan will be working with California moving forward and watching how they transition.
