Under recently finalised rules, the state would soon ban the use of non-zero emission trains and trucks.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB), the commission responsible for air quality in California, USA, has adopted a new set of rules that will require “zero emissions” trains, focusing on a sector often seen as a “green” alternative to cars and trucks.

Under the new regulations, zero-emissions models will be required for all switch, industrial and passenger locomotives built after 2030 and for all freight line locomotives built after 2035. Any non-zero emissions locomotive that is 23 years old or more will not be allowed to operate in the state past 2030.

The regulations also require train operators to open a spending account by July 2024 that they must deposit into every year to purchase or lease cleaner diesel trains and buy zero-emissions infrastructure. Operators that generate more pollutants are required to deposit more into the spending account, and the amount required to be deposited would also increase every year.

It is not clear under the current rules how the new regulation of trains would affect interstate commerce, which is regulated by Congress under the US Constitution. California has a high transit volume compared to other US states.

CARB has introduced serious regulations not only for diesel locomotives, but also for trucks and cars. The new regulations ban the sale of gas-powered cars in the state after 2035. State regulators also banned the sale of new diesel big rigs by 2036 and also passed new rules requiring all trucks be electric vehicles by 2042.

It remains to be seen how the state’s electricity grid will cope with all the electric vehicles, as operators are already struggling to provide enough electricity to charge electric vehicles.

Environmental groups praised the new rules for taking diesel heavy trucks.

“I don’t think there’s been a single rule where we haven’t heard the technology isn’t ready, the costs are too great, or that it’s not the right time,” Will Barrett, national senior director of air advocacy for the American Lung Association said.

Industry groups criticised the decision, the UPI reported.

“CARB has outright ignored the nation’s leading fleets and has put forth an overly ambitious, unrealistic, and unfeasible proposal,” said Eric Sauer, CEO of the California Trucking Association. Sauer added the new rules “will guarantee a complete dismantling of our state’s trucking industry and have detrimental effect on goods movement and the entire supply chain.”

As also reported by V4NA, not only transport is planned to be made greener in California. Regulators in the San Francisco Bay Area has recently voted to eliminate the sale and installation of natural gas-powered furnaces and water heaters over the next eight years, one of the most ambitious plans in the country to replace gas appliances with electric alternatives.

The rules, approved by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, are meant to reduce air pollution from some of the worst home-appliance offenders. The main pollutants targeted are nitrogen oxides, or NOx, which can cause acid rain and smog as well as increase risk for asthma and other respiratory diseases. The air district estimated that 37-85 premature deaths from health complications caused by air pollution would be avoided each year due to the adopted proposals. That translates to approximately $400 million to $890 million in estimated annual health benefits, according to the air district’s calculations.It would also speed up the region’s transition to electric appliances and reduce reliance on fossil fuels

People will be able to repair their gas appliances if they break — but the rules take effect in 2027, when existing gas-powered furnaces or water heaters no longer work and need to be replaced. New construction will also be required to have zero-NOx — effectively, electric — furnaces and water heaters.

The new policy does not affect gas stoves, high-capacity water heaters, appliances that use propane or other non-natural gas fuels and mobile home furnaces.

In the lead-up to approval, the rules have prompted deep concerns from residents about the costs and logistical challenges of upgrading home electrical panels and appliances in the given timeline. Installing electrical appliances may also require upgrades to home electrical panels, which the air district estimated will cost $2,630 for zero-NOx space heaters and $960 for zero-NOx water heaters.

Some public commenters at the approval meeting highlighted ongoing power outages from the latest atmospheric river to hit California, and voiced concerns about access to heat and hot water in power outages when the regulations take effect.

California has ambitious plans for an all-electric future. In September, Governor Gavin Newsom signed climate bills that will require the state to become carbon-neutral by 2045 and produce 90% of its electricity from clean sources by 2035. The state plans to ban the sale of new natural gas-fuelled heaters by 2030, though the plan hasn’t been formally approved. By 2035, Californians for the most part will not be able to buy new gasoline-powered cars.

Meanwhile, the federal government has also started to make it impossible to install gas stoves. The Department of Energy is planning to introduce an environmental directive that only 4 percent of gas stoves will comply with.

In California, energy prices would be defined in the spirit of environmental protection and social justice. Three major utility companies are looking to restructure customer billing, and part of that means customers could be charged based on how much money they make.

Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric filed a joint proposal this week for a flat-rate charge based on income. The plan would break monthly bills in two parts: The fixed-income rate, plus a reduced usage charge based on consumption.

Under the proposal, it would cost as little as $15 a month for low-income households and up to $85 more per month for households making more than $180,000 a year.

If you earn more, you pay more. https://t.co/aLlaALZyok

— KTLA (@KTLA) April 15, 2023

While that specific cost would go up, the actual electricity rate would go down by a third. In other words, the electricity utility would make the rich pay for the energy consumed by the poor.

The income-based bill proposal is part of the companies’ compliance with legislation passed by the California state government last year requiring these types of plans for utilities.

The California Public Utilities Commission would have to approve the proposal and make a final decision by mid-2024. The fixed rate could start showing up on bills as soon as 2025.