North Carolina sets goal to sell 50% zero-emission vehicles by 2030

North Carolina sets goal to sell 50% zero-emission vehicles by 2030

• Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina issued an executive order on Friday that outlines the state's next steps to reduce carbon emissions by 2030, and reach net zero emissions by 2050.
• The order requires that 50% of the cars sold in this state be electric by 2030. The order also requires that future decisions made by multiple government agencies take into account questions of equity and economic justice.
• The order received praise from multiple advocacy groups, who had asked the governor to include transportation and equity in the state's climate objectives.

Governor Cooper believes that transportation and equity will be the next two most important areas when it comes to fighting climate change in North Carolina.

Governor Cooper has announced a new goal to get 1.25 million zero-emission vehicles registered in North Carolina by 2030. This goal is part of a larger order which calls for half of all new automobiles sold in the state to be zero-emission vehicles by that same date. To help achieve these goals, the North Carolina Department of Transportation will work with the state Department of Environmental Quality to develop a Clean Transportation Plan. The plan should include different ways for people to get around, like by using less single occupancy vehicles and more alternative transportation. This was ordered on Friday.

The transportation provisions in the executive order create a climate strategy that is more comprehensive than previous goals, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center.

"For years, we've been telling the Cooper administration that they need to focus on climate change and the transportation sector. The transportation sector is becoming the number one source of heat-trapping emissions in North Carolina. We're glad that the governor is finally taking this step, and we look forward to working with them to create a plan that reduces emissions without unfairly harming certain groups of people."

The inclusion of provisions related to social equity in the new climate bill drew praise from climate advocacy groups who argued that the integration of climate and environmental justice was overdue.

David Kelly, North Carolina state director for the Environmental Defense Fund, said in a statement that "for too long, conversations regarding equity and climate have been siloed." He went on to say that "these issues deeply intersect," with marginalized communities often bearing the brunt of pollution and experiencing the worst effects of climate change. Kelly said that the executive order sets the stage to consider climate change and social justice together. This is important so that we can make progress on these issues and create a more equitable future.

The order calls for developing a plan to increase the number of people from diverse backgrounds working in clean energy. This will be done by creating a task force to look at strategies for doing this and by starting a clean energy youth apprenticeship program. Each of the governor’s cabinet agencies will also identify an environmental justice and equity lead to oversee these efforts. Each agency has to publish a public participation plan by June 1. The new environmental justice and equity leads will make sure that everyone has a chance to give input and that all the agencies work together.

Environmental groups said they were excited to work with new and existing community partners to implement the new executive order. "We are eager to roll up our sleeves and help ensure that this executive order tangibly advances North Carolina toward a more equitable, cleaner future," said Kelly.

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