Virginia Ditches EV Mandate & Field + Stream Magazine is Back

Here's the latest dispatch.

Jun 08, 2024

Good evening,

For you newbies out there, welcome to Outsider on the Inside. I hope this dispatch from in and around the nation’s capital on underreported topics finds you well.

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Quick Thoughts

Support and follow the work of IWF’s Center for Energy and Conservation today if you haven’t already.

Destroy Joshua trees in the name of solar catalyzation? Hard pass.

Lithuania is the best European country for young people.

My hometown’s famous landmark is up for auction.

Twitter/X getting might be getting its own version of Instagram Reels.

Don’t forget the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, which was commemorated this week.

Proud radical anti-tax conservative here.

That’s all for this week. Stay tuned for next Friday’s update!

Virginia Pulls the Plug on EV Mandate

By December 31st, 2024, Virginia will no longer be bound to California’s electric vehicle (EV) mandate.

On Wednesday, Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) and Attorney General Jason Miyares officially announced our exit from the California Air Resource Board (CARB) Advanced Clean Car (ACC) program.

“Once again, Virginia is declaring independence – this time from a misguided electric vehicle mandate imposed by unelected leaders nearly 3,000 miles away from the Commonwealth,” Governor Youngkin said. “The idea that government should tell people what kind of car they can or can’t purchase is fundamentally wrong. Virginians deserve the freedom to choose which vehicles best fit the needs of their families and businesses. The law is clear, and I am proud to announce Virginians will no longer be forced to live under this out-of-touch policy.

“EV mandates like California’s are unworkable and out of touch with reality, and thankfully the law does not bind us to their regulations. California does not control which cars Virginians buy and any thoughts that automobile manufacturers should face millions of dollars in civil penalties rather than allowing our citizens to choose their own vehicles is completely absurd,” added AG Miyares.

Virginia was forced into the ACC’s first iteration - ACC I - in 2021 after former Governor Northam signed House Bill 1965 into law. This transpired during Democrat control of Richmond between 2020-2021. The current iteration, ACC II, was adopted in 2022 after Virginia’s entry in the program. This 2022 standard coerced 17 states and Washington, D.C., to pivot to 100% EV sales by 2035.

Per AG Miyares’s opinion, we can formally exit ACC because the Virginia Air Resources Board didn’t adopt ACC II standards and, in turn, will solely comply with federal standards starting January 1st, 2025.

Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources Travis Voyles explained that participation in ACC II, enacted after Virginia’s entry into ACC I in 2021, would mandate 35% of new cars sold, starting Model Year 2026, be electric. Failure to comply, Voyles added, would result in “penalties could total upwards of $20,000 per vehicle, an increase from the $5,000 per vehicle violation penalty under ACC I.”

Therefore, exiting from this mandate is a huge win for Virginia car dealers and consumers. For taking such a bold and lawful stance, Governor Youngkin, however, was accused of hating the environment and channeling Vladimir Putin.

Continue Reading at Townhall

Field & Stream Opening Day

The iconic Field & Stream Magazine is back and better than ever— with a relaunched print edition and new 1871 Membership Club. The good folks over there were kind enough to send me a nice care package:

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