A recent letter to the editor about how Democratic programs have ruined our lives contained enough misinformation to bloat a landfill.
In the interest of brevity I will focus on only one of the subjects of the letter and also the subject of an initiative on the ballot this fall: the Climate Commitment Act.
The letter states, "Of course, the Climate Commitment Act kills gasoline cars in this state by 2030, so if you own a gasoline-powered car in five years, it will be worthless and you will be forced to buy an electric vehicle (EV) or walk. "
In reality, the Climate Commitment Act requires that a percentage of the new vehicles sold in Washington be zero emission starting with the 2025 model year.
In December 2022, Washington adopted the Clean Vehicles Program rule that requires 100% of new passenger cars, light-duty trucks and medium-duty vehicles to be zero emission starting in 2035.
Used vehicles are not subject to these standards.
Starting in 2035, if you buy a new car it must meet the zero emissions standard or it can not be registered in Washington. If you buy a car with less than 7,500 miles on it, it must also meet the zero emissions standard or it can not be registered in Washington.
If you buy a used car with more than 7,500 miles on it, that vehicle can be registered in Washington regardless of whether it meets the emissions standards or not.
Used vehicles with over 7,500 miles are not subject to the Climate Commitment Act standards, even after 2035.
The Climate Commitment Act is a good faith effort to reduce carbon emissions and slow climate change. I have seen no proposal from the radical right to address this massive issue. They simply deny it is even happening. They are not serious people.
Toyota expects to introduce solid-state EV batteries by 2027 or 2028. They expect to have a range of up to 745 miles and be fast-charged in 10 minutes or less. Solid-state batteries will handle extreme temperatures well and are much safer, smaller and lighter than lithium ion batteries. Not all solid state batteries require the environmentally questionable mining of lithium. Toyota projects a 40% reduction in cost. Toyota may be overly optimistic, but EV battery technology is evolving very fast and the planet desperately needs to reduce carbon emissions.
The letter writer is typical of the extreme right wing inclination to simply make up some lunatic narrative, throw it against the wall and see what sticks.
Marty Ansley
Cinebar
