9. Through all our electric vehicle work, Earthjustice aims to ensure that the people who are most impacted by pollution have the option to use truly clean and zero-emissions vehicles.
“If we’re going to have a real shot at stemming the impact of the climate crisis,” explains Athena Motavvef, Earthjustice’s legislative representative in Washington, D.C., “we need to ditch fossil fuels, pivot to 100% clean energy, and achieve zero emissions.
“Making electric vehicles accessible to all people is an important step towards that goal.”
Earthjustice endorses the Electric Vehicle Freedom Act. The bill proposes establishing a network of electric charging stations alongside public roads, to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles by the wider public.
What is “Zero emissions”?
Zeroemissions means that a vehicle emits no pollutants to disrupt the climate or dirty our air.
It’s a broader category that describes electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and other emerging types of technology.
In simple terms, zero emissions means technology that doesn’t rely on combustion to power vehicles.
Meanwhile, Earthjustice attorneys are working to help our nation’s transportation sector transition away from gasoline combustion to zero emissions, including:
- Electric Trucks: We’ve been working to increase the number of electric trucks in California — together with 20,000 residents, we asked the California Air Resources Board to enact the nation’s first electric truck manufacturing standard.
- Charging Infrastructure: And Earthjustice is working with the Public Utilities Commission in California and other states to build more charging infrastructure. This would relieve one of the biggest barriers to having an all-electric vehicle for those who do not have a garage or a driveway, through either workplace charging, or centralized electric vehicle fast charging.
- Zero-Emissions Vehicles: We’re in court defending the ZEV mandate, which is essentially the California state mandate that a certain percentage of vehicle purchases in the state be zero emissions. Tenstates have adopted the ZEV mandate through California’s special legal authority in the Clean Air Act.
“To make it safe to breathe, we need to implement electric vehicles as fast as possible,” said Earthjustice attorney Adrian Martinez of the Right to Zero campaign.
“Fortunately, as we have seen a change in administration, there’s a lot of opportunity at the federal level to bring electric transportation into communities. But we must recognize that a lot of the decisions on clean transportation are local. It’s city councils, it’s mayors, it’s state legislatures that are making the vast majority of transportation decisions in this country.”
And it’s you.
Certainly! I've got a breadth of knowledge about electric vehicles (EVs), their impact on emissions reduction, and the initiatives focused on promoting clean transportation. Let's break down the concepts mentioned in the article:
1. Zero Emissions:
- It signifies vehicles emitting no pollutants, contributing to cleaner air and mitigating climate disruption.
- Encompasses technologies like electric vehicles (EVs), hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and other emerging non-combustion-based technologies.
2. Electric Vehicle Freedom Act:
- A legislative proposal advocating the establishment of a network of electric charging stations along public roads to encourage widespread adoption of electric vehicles.
3. Earthjustice's Initiatives:
- Electric Trucks in California:
- Earthjustice collaborated with residents urging the California Air Resources Board to establish the nation's first electric truck manufacturing standard.
- Charging Infrastructure:
- Working with Public Utilities Commissions in various states, including California, to expand charging infrastructure, addressing barriers for those without private garages or driveways.
- Zero-Emissions Vehicles (ZEV) Mandate:
- Defending the ZEV mandate in California, which requires a certain percentage of vehicle purchases to be zero emissions. This mandate has been adopted by ten states under California's Clean Air Act authority.
4. Earthjustice's Advocacy:
- Advocates, such as attorney Adrian Martinez, emphasize the urgency of implementing electric vehicles to improve air quality.
- Recognizes the role of local decisions—city councils, mayors, and state legislatures—in shaping transportation policies.
5. Community Engagement:
- Stresses the importance of individual involvement in promoting clean transportation, highlighting that decisions about clean transportation significantly depend on local actions and governance.
The focus here is on promoting a shift away from fossil fuels towards zero-emission technologies like electric vehicles, establishing necessary infrastructure, and advocating for policies that facilitate this transition. Earthjustice's efforts underscore the urgency of this shift to combat climate change and enhance air quality, emphasizing the importance of both federal and local actions to achieve these goals.
