Ford Mustang Mach-E
Credit: Ford
What you need to know: California is helping launch an 11-state coalition that will work together to sustain the transition to affordable clean cars.
May 23, 2025 - SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom announced today that California would join an 11-state coalition to advance clean cars. This follows yesterday’s illegal vote in the U.S. Senate to attempt to revoke California’s authority to set its own clean air standards.
The Affordable Clean Cars Coalition — led by the U.S. Climate Alliance — will sustain America’s transition to cleaner and more affordable cars, support U.S. automotive manufacturers and workers, and preserve states’ clean air authority.
Participating states include: California, Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.
The federal government and Congress are putting polluters over people and creating needless chaos for consumers and the market, but our commitment to safeguarding Americans’ fundamental right to clean air is resolute.
We will continue collaborating as states and leveraging our longstanding authority under the Clean Air Act, including through state programs that keep communities safe from pollution, create good-paying jobs, increase consumer choice, and help Americans access cleaner and more affordable cars.
As we consider next steps for our clean vehicle programs, our states will engage stakeholders and industry to provide the regulatory certainty needed while redoubling our efforts to build a cleaner and healthier future.
Governors Gavin Newsom, Jared Polis (CO), Matt Meyer (DE), Maura Healey (MA), Wes Moore (MD), Phil Murphy (NJ), Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM), Kathy Hochul (NY), Tina Kotek (OR), Dan McKee (RI), and Bob Ferguson (WA)
States participating in the coalition will work together to develop solutions that make cleaner vehicles more affordable and accessible to all Americans who want them, including by reducing cost barriers, increasing availability of options, and expanding accessible charging and fueling infrastructure. They will also defend their longstanding authority under the Clean Air Act to adopt transportation solutions and explore options for next-generation standards.
The U.S. Climate Alliance is a bipartisan coalition of 24 governors representing approximately 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of the U.S. population.
California’s climate leadership
Pollution is down and the economy is up. Greenhouse gas emissions in California are down 20% since 2000 – even as the state’s GDP increased 78% in that same time period.
The state continues to set clean energy records. Last year, California ran on 100% clean electricity for the equivalent of 51 days – with the grid running on 100% clean energy for some period two out of every three days. Since the beginning of the Newsom Administration, battery storage is up to over 15,000 megawatts – a 1,900%+ increase.
Source: Office of the Governor
