Gov. Kathy Hochul says New York state is aiming for zero emission vehicles by the year 2035.
Any state-led move to enforce stricter emissions rules must occur first in California, per federal regulations that date back to the 1970 Clean Air Act.
"That's all right, once they made that decision, we are able to step up immediately and say now there's nothing holding us back," Hochul said. "We had to wait for California to take a step because there's some federal requirements that California had to go first. That's the only time we're letting them go first."
Hochul also announced the state is adding $10 million to its Drive Clean rebate program to help New Yorkers buy electric vehicles.The governor also announced the installation of more fast chargers for electric vehicles. "Think about how simple this is, simply pull into a gas station or what used to be a gas station, or a convenience store, while you're in there for 20 minutes with a fast charging station, your vehicle can be charged," Hochul said."New York is a national climate leader and an economic powerhouse, and we're using our strength to help spur innovation and implementation of zero-emission vehicles on a grand scale," she said.