A new law in Washington may halt sales of new diesel and gas powered vehicles

A new law in Washington that was put into effect could put RV and trucking companies in a tight spot. Starting on January 1st, the state of Washington could stop the sales of new RVs and large trucks powered by diesel or gasoline. This comes after Washington voted to follow emission regulations modeled by California. The new rule will affect vehicles over 8,500 pounds. But not everyone is on board with the latest regulations.

“With electric vehicles, the cart is before the horse. No electric vehicle is in operation today or even available today that will serve the agricultural sector,” said Sheri Call, the CEO of the Washington Truckers Association.

Senate Bill 5811, sponsored by Senator Joe Nguyen, chair of the Senate Environmental Committee, was passed by the state legislature in 2020. The bill states that the state will adopt the clean vehicles program, which includes medium—and heavy-duty vehicles such as recreational vehicles, semi-trucks, and farm equipment.

“That is a mandate directly on manufacturers to produce and sell and increase the number of zero-emission vehicles,” said Call.

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