Virginia’s republican governor launches idiotic culture war against clean air
Virginia’s republican governor says he wants to violate Virginia law to pull the state out of the California Air Resources Board’s clean car regulations, consigning his state to a costly and burdensome future full of pollution and high fuel prices.
California currently sets its own clean car regulations, which it’s allowed to do under the Clean Air Act. The reason for this is because California had clean air regulations before the federal government did, so as long as its regulations exceed the national regulations, it’s given a waiver so it can set its own.
In 2022, California finalized a relatively conservative goal targeting 80%+ all-electric car sales by 2035 (the regulation will allow up to 20% PHEVs), called “Advanced Clean Cars II” (ACC2). The regulation was intentionally made softer than what California itself could achieve, such that other states that aren’t as far ahead on EV adoption as California is would still be able to adopt it.
The reason for this is because other states are allowed to follow those regulations instead of the federal ones, as long as they adopt the regulations fully.
As a result, there are currently several so-called “CARB states,” or section 177 states, which adopt California’s clean car regulations.
Virginia is one of these states, although the state’s republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, said today that he intends to ensure that the state’s clean air regulations will lapse by the end of this year, despite Virginia law stating otherwise.
Strangely, as part of his politically-charged and immaturely-written release announcing this decision, Youngkin saw it fit to include an opinion of the Virginia Attorney General stating that he is allowed to make this unilateral decision attacking Virginians’ rights to breathe clean air.
Why did he have to include this? Because, despite his claim about CARB being “unelected,” the elected Virginia state legislature did indeed pass a law in 2021 making Virginia a CARB state. And the very same Attorney General confirmed in 2022 that Virginia law would adopt California’s regulations. Republicans in VA legislature tried to pass a law to poison Virginians with higher auto emissions, but failed to do so. As a result, Virginia still remains a CARB state, and the US Department of Energy confirms that Virginia adopted the ACC2 regulation in January.
So, despite Virginia law not changing since then, the state’s republican attorney general seems to think something is different now. We wonder if an upcoming election, where a convicted felon has told oil companies he’ll take $1 billion in bribes to turn dirty air into part of his ignorant culture war, might have something to do with that. Either way, Youngkin’s effort today will surely waste plenty of time and taxpayer money in court.
Beyond the flip-flopping of the VA attorney general, Youngkin’s release contains other false statements. For example, Youngkin decries that these regulations are being decided “3,000 miles away,” when they were in fact voted on by Virginia’s legislature itself (which is actually 0.2 miles away from the Governor’s Office – here’s walking directions for you, Glenn).
He also claims that EVs will cost the state more money, which is simply wrong. Each EV brings an average of $10,000 in health savings. This is why these sorts of regulations save states money – the International Council on Clean Transportation says Virginia will save $814 million in yearly health costs by adopting ACC2 and the American Lung Association says VA will gain $30 billion in long-term health benefits from widespread EV adoption. Not to mention tax credit availability, fuel and maintenance savings, and really cheap deals on EVs right now.
Youngkin claims that he seeks to torpedo the law in order to help Virginia’s auto dealers, but in fact the Virginia Auto Dealer Association was supportive of VA’s 2021 law and of California’s ACC2 regulation. VADA correctly recognizes that adopting ACC2 will give Virginians wider choice of high-tech new vehicles, and wants Virginia to be a leader in the move to EVs.
Unsurprisingly, Youngkin’s illegal announcement received a negative response from environmental and consumer groups, like Sierra Club, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, VA League of Conservation Voters (which pointed out that Youngkin also illegally left a regional effort to reduce power plant emissions), and business assocation Advanced Energy United.
So – Youngkin wants to do something that is objectively bad and costly for his state, that his own attorney general acknowledged violates the law, and that is opposed by health, business and environmental orgs – including the auto dealers themselves. And seems to think, by the way the release was written, that this will score him political points.
Meanwhile, electric cars are already making California healthier – benefits that Virginia could have in the future, if not for its republican governor trying to score political points by forcing poison on his populace (and the absurdity of the situation we’re in – that anyone would consider that a political point-scorer – should not go unnoticed).
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![This electric excavator has battery swap tech that lets it recharge in minutes [update]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/electric-excavator.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
UPDATE: telematics announcement.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
Telematics announcement at bauma
Earlier today, XCMG launched its next-generation Xrea Global Telematics Platform, integrating IoT, big data, cloud computing, and AI to enable what it’s caling, “seamless cross-border fleet management.”
The new telematics platform supports a dozen languages via PC and mobile interfaces, and offers real-time diagnostics, predictive maintenance, and data-driven optimization of both the vehicle and the vehicle’s batteries, empowering equipment managers and fleet operators to track fleets across town, or across time zones.
“XCMG remains committed to advancing engineering technology to empower a sustainable future. Our mission is to deliver efficient, intelligent, and eco-friendly lifecycle solutions for global clients,” said Mr. Yang Dongsheng, Chairman of XCMG Group and XCMG Machinery. “Today, 19% of our product portfolio comprises green innovations under our ‘Green Mountain’ new energy line, with full electrification across all series underway.”
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG; via PR Newswire.
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![A vast 600 MW Texas solar farm just hit a major milestone [update]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/01/Hornet-Solar-Texas-2.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Renewable developer Vesper Energy has cut the ribbon on Hornet Solar in Swisher County, Texas, one of the largest single-phase solar farms in the US.
As Electrek reported in January, the 600-megawatt (MW) Hornet Solar includes over 1.36 million modules covering more than 6 square miles. The project will contribute more than $100 million in new tax revenue to Swisher County and deliver 600 MWac of energy–enough to power 160,000 homes annually.
January 30, 2025: “The seamless coordination between our team and our EPC partner, Blattner, has enabled us to remain ahead of schedule and on budget while ensuring quality throughout the process,” said Juan Suarez, co-CEO of Irving-based Vesper Energy.
Hornet Solar uses bifacial solar panels mounted on a single-axis tracking system to maximize efficiency. The solar farm is connected to Oncor Electric’s transmission system within ERCOT and is contracted to provide power to four off-take partners through individual Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs).
The Hornet Solar project in the Texas Panhandle is on track to be fully online by spring 2025.
Texas is a utility-scale solar leader in the US, with a ranking of No. 2 and 37,713 MW currently installed. It’s projected to install 51,144 MW over the next five years and move into the No. 1 spot, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). The total solar investment in the state is $45.2 billion.
On January 21, the SEIA, Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation (CTEI), Advanced Power Alliance (APA), and the Texas Solar + Storage Association (TSSA) reported that existing and expected utility-scale solar, wind, and battery storage projects will contribute over $20 billion in total tax revenue – and pay Texas landowners $29.5 billion – over the projects’ lifetimes.
Read more: Texas just became No 1 in the US for most utility-scale solar
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