Nevada Becomes 16th Clean Cars State and Model for Others

Nevada became the 16^th state in the nation to adopt clean cars today, after the Legislative Commission approved the Clean Cars Nevada program in a bipartisan vote. The vote marked the final approval step after the Nevada State Environmental Commission voted unanimously to support the program in July.

The new rules mean that the state will see cleaner passenger cars and trucks introduced by automakers, meaning less smog-forming pollution and climate pollution. What’s more, Nevada will be in the front of the line to receive exciting new electric vehicle products now being offered by automakers, such as the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T, which in addition to being off-road capable, just happen to be zero-emitting.

Governor Sisolak envisioned the program in June of 2020 to provide Nevadans with more vehicle options that will provide a healthy, climate-friendly future while saving new vehicle owners money, thanks to lower fuel costs and maintenance. The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) has been hard at work since then developing requirements as part of its Clean Cars Nevada program to expand the availability of electric vehicles, reduce air pollution, and fight climate change.

Following an in-depth and collaborative outreach process by NDEP, a major agreement was reached among regulators, environmental organizations including NRDC, auto industry representatives, and auto dealers to resolve key concerns and uncertainties, as I’ve discussed earlier.

This big victory in Nevada would not have been possible without the diverse, broad-based support of nearly eighty organizations for the rules, many of whom testified at today’s Commission hearing. This support has included hundreds of NRDC activists who have urged state leaders to adopt these common-sense, clean car standards over the past couple of years.

In 1886, Nevada had changed its motto from “Volens et Potens” (or Willing and Able) to “All for the Country.” There’s a lot of truth to both, as today’s vote shows Nevada is not only willing and able to lead, but to serve as an example for the rest of the country. As other states such as New Mexico and Pennsylvania now consider their own clean car programs, they only need to look to the Battle Born state to see how it can be done.