SOURCE:
Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste (substack.com)
And so goes the nation
The old saying is that as California goes, so goes the nation, and this isn’t true for just tattoos, jean length, bell bottoms and Marihuana legalization. California has made a number of reciprocal agreements with other states - for example, these agreements allows the state to lead in auto emission legislation and those other states to follow. This all seems very benign - until the true agenda becomes apparent.
An agenda that is so malignant to our very nature of decentralized governance. See, these emissions standards are constantly changing, so these laws requiring states meet certain criteria can be changed in a blink of an eye - often without legislative oversight. It is a great way for progressives and the UN-i-party to continue to rule their states, after they leave office. Let me explain.
Take electric cars for example.
You would have to live under a rock to not know that California has mandated to automobile manufacturers that all new cars, pickups and SUVs are to be electric or hydrogen powered by 2035, and that by 2025, 35% of all of the cars sold in California must also be electric.
The thing is that seventeen other states have previously tied their vehicle emission standards to emissions standards set by California. Now the press is playing that fact as if these states have a choice; that they must “decide” whether to follow California’s strict new rules. That is, all new cars must be electric by 2035.
But in many states, they really don’t have a choice. Because their state legislators have passed laws tying their own state emissions standards to whatever California does. It is very difficult to rescind existing law, and it may prove to be an impossibility. This is the case in Virginia, where I live. The Democratic Virginia legislature quietly tied the state’s emissions standards to California’s in 2021. Governor Youngkin is vowing to change this law, but rescinding a law is generally harder than actually passing one. This will require legislative involvement, in a state whereby the legislative body is essentially split between the two parties.
Virginia Senator Barbara Favola of Virginia District 31 has proclaimed: “We’re not going to reverse this policy, don’t even try.”
To that, Governor Youngkin has said that the politicians who hitched the state to California’s emissions laws “sold Virginia out.”
“I am already at work to prevent this ridiculous edict from being forced on Virginia. California’s out of touch laws have no place in our Commonwealth,”
his Twitter statement continued.
“We find ourselves today with this ludicrous law that Virginia has to follow California’s laws. So, we’re going to go to work to stop this because Virginians should be making decisions for Virginians”
the governor added, citing plans to be ready to make moves for reversal on the ban when the Virginia Assembly goes back into session in January.
So, what is wrong with all electric cars?
One of the major problems with electric cars is that the batteries do not hold power for very long in cold weather. So, in colder climates, electric cars are not a good solution. In other parts of the USA, travel requires long distances - and battery operated cars just don’t cut it. And the batteries have to be replaced at great cost. And the batteries require vast environmental devastation to acquire the necessary minerals. And, and, and…..
Of course, the other issue with electric cars that the many states suffer from an old and frankly, failing power grid. Including California. A power grid that is not currently powered up to sustain the vast increases in electricity needed by 2025 to run 35% of the nations automobiles in 17 states. Here is a page that tracks the vast numbers of people who have been affected by power outages every year in the USA. At this moment, the top five power outages in the USA have over 17,000 people without power.
This is just a snapshot in time. We all know that a major snow or wind storm can knock out power for days. What happens during a hurricane? What happens then to all those electric cars?
Of course, the other ugly truth is that the precious metals and materials required to make lithium batteries are very limited, they require enormous amounts of energy to mine, most of these mines are in countries other the the USA and 80% of these resources are controlled by China. Not to mention… the working conditions for minors of lithium are often horrific.
As Bill Maher likes to say, “new rule:” don’t follow California’s lead - unless you like eating bugs and living with a failing electrical grid that only partially works. An electrical grid that then is to supply the energy to run our cars. That is, over a third of all autos by 2025. But as mentioned, many states no longer have a choice in the matter.
This all comes about because under the Clean Air Act, states must abide by the federal government's vehicle emissions standards unless they at least partially opt to follow California's stricter requirements. The truth is, auto manufacturers also rely on the stricter California standards. It is too expensive to make multiple versions of the same car. So, they opt for the stricter standard. To be clear, new energy sources/technologies will and must be developed. And clean energy is important. But it needs to be done in a way that does not penalize people.
What a great way for progressives and the UN-party to continue to push Agenda 2030 and outrageous climate change laws after leaving office! Just pass an umbrella law that makes state governments either abide by specific Federal legislation that can be modified over time (such as emissions standards) or they will have to abide by California’s emission standards. Standards that can be modified by California’s democratic party controlled legislature at any time. What could go wrong?
What we now know is that California emissions standards can be modified in the future and those states tied to the California Emissions Standards will have to abide by those laws, without any legislative due process. How will this strategy be used by politicians in the future?
It truly is a bait and switch. If emissions standards can then become a ban on the sales of non-electric cars - 35% by 2025, you have to wonder what else “they,” - that is Congress- or is it the UN-party, have in store for us? I am scanning the new Federal “Inflation Reduction Act” of 2022 and wondering… what next?
Just what bombs are set to explode on the American public with the passing of that bloated carcass? Stay tuned, I am sure in the years that follow, we will all be finding out.
Here are the 17 states that have adopted the California standards. According to this chart, that equals 40.1% of all “light-duty” car sales in the USA.
Also note that this document lists that specific legislation or regulation for each state that ties their emissions program to California.
1 6 NY Code, Rules & Regs., Parts 218-8.3, 200.
2 310 Code of Mass. Regs., §§ 7.40(1), esp. (1)(c); 7.40 (2)(a)(6).
3 Vermont Air Poll. Ctrl. Regs. § 5-1102, App. F ; see also Subchapter XI, § 5-1106(a)(5).
4 Ch. 127 of Maine Dep’t Env. Protection rules, 06-096 C.M.R., ch. 127, § 4(1).
5 Proposed amendments to 25 Pa. Code Chapter 126, Subchapter D.
6 Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22a-174g; Regs. Conn. State Agencies, §§ 22a-174-36, -36b, -36c.
7 Rhode Island Air Poll. Ctrl Reg. § 37.2.3.
8 Wash. Sen. Bill 5811, stats. 2020, ch. 143; Wash. Admin. Code, § 173-423-030.
9 Or. Admin. Code R. 340-257-0050.
10 N.J.A.C. §§ 7:27-29.1 to -29.14.
11 Code of Md. Regs. § 26.11.34.09.
12 Del. Dep’t Natural Resources and Env. Control, March 3, 2022, Delaware to Adopt Zero Emission Vehicle Regulation - State of Delaware News; expected adoption of ZEV program starting with model year 2027.
13 5 Col. Code Regs. § 1001-24.
14 Minn. State Reg., vol. 45, no. 25, pp. 663-670 (Dec. 21, 2020)
15 Nev. Admin. Code, ch. 445B.
16 Va. Code Ann. § 10.1-1307.04.
17 New Mexico Clean Car Rule, NM Admin. Code §§ 20.2.91, et seq., 20.11.104, et seq.
18 D.C. Code, § 50-73
