Is Newsom’s gas-powered car ban enough to fight climate change?

California Gov. Gavin Newsom made international headlines on Wednesday when he announced a plan to phase out gas-powered vehicles by 2035.

The sweeping vision, unveiled in an executive order, seemed like a big victory for climate activists who have been pushing Newsom to ramp up the state’s efforts to address climate change. By transitioning California to non-polluting cars, the state can eliminate a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels.

During a press conference at Cal-Expo in Sacramento, Newsom also called on the California State Legislature to send him a bill to ban the oil production practice known as fracking, which climate activists say is an especially destructive technique that harms health and contributes to global warming.

Not all climate activists were happy with Newsom’s big announcement. Some accused Newsom of pursuing “lofty” goals while failing to take immediate action to halt oil drilling.

“Governor Newsom has once again missed the point when it comes to real climate action: In order to stem the devastating impacts of greenhouse gas emissions, we must halt new fossil fuel drilling and fracking now, not later. Gov. Newsom just doesn’t get it, or he apparently doesn’t care,” said Alexandra Nagy of Food and Water Action California.

But other Newsom critics seemed pleased with the governor’s announcement and offered praise. RL Miller, a climate hawk and California Democratic Party activist, said the governor’s move met her expectations, even though he has more work to do.

In this episode of the California Nation podcast, I talk to climate activists and industry representatives to get their take on the governor’s bold announcement.

This week’s guests:

▪ RL Miller, climate “hawk” and chair of the California Democratic Party’s environmental caucus.

▪ Nalleli Cobo, climate activist from Los Angeles.

▪ Catherine Reheis-Boyd, president of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA).

▪ Anne Smart, vice president of public policy at Chargepoint.

This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Is Newsom’s gas-powered car ban enough to fight climate change?."