California Mandates All New Public Transit Buses Go Electric by 2029

On Friday, December 14, the California Air Resources Board, the state’s public clean air agency, has mandated that all new buses for municipal and or local public transit use must be fully electric powered by 2029. The new rule will prohibit any purchase of any non-renewable energy powered public transit buses by the end of the next decade. By 2040, more than 20 years from now, all public buses must be non-renewable energy emission free. As of now, California will be the first and only state to enact this particular public policy to combat man-made climate change and air pollution.

The Golden State on the Pacific West Coast has become a well known national and global leader when it comes to dealing with environmental issues. Since 2015, California has banned the sale of single-use plastic bags. This year in 2018, the state’s Building Standards Commission mandated that all new residential houses and apartment buildings must have solar panels installed and the state legislature, as well as Governor Jerry Brown, passed a ban on plastic straws. Countries such as Norway, France, and Britain as well as cities such as Paris, Madrid, Athens, and Mexico have pledged to phase out non-renewable energy powered vehicles on their own roads in the near future.