Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., last week signed legislation banning the sale of new gas-powered cars and trucks by 2035.
The bill was passed by the state's Senate and Assembly and signed by Hochul.
"New York is implementing the nation's most aggressive plan to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions affecting our climate and to reach our ambitious goals, we must reduce emissions from the transportation sector, currently the largest source of the state’s climate pollution," Hochul said in a release.
"The new law and regulation mark a critical milestone in our efforts and will further advance the transition to clean electric vehicles while helping to reduce emissions in communities that have been overburdened by pollution from cars and trucks for decades."
New York, California, and 10 other states asked President Joe Biden in April to set standards to ensure that all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks are zero-emissions by 2035.
The Biden administration has sought to promote the sales of electric vehicles to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and help meet global goals to slow climate change.
Biden in August signed an executive order aimed at making half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 electric, a goal made with backing from the biggest U.S. automakers. However, the president has refused to endorse proposals to phase out the sale of all new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035.
New York's Department of Environmental Conservation website defines zero-emission vehicles as battery-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles, or hydrogen fuel-cell-electric vehicles.
To meet its climate goals, New York City will need 400,000 of its 2 million vehicle owners to switch to EVs by 2030. The city vows to install a network of 10,000 curbside charge points by 2030.
New York will implement regulations requiring an increasing percentage of all new medium- and large-trucks sold in the state to be zero-emissions beginning with the 2025 model year.
The legislation signed Wednesday also seeks to require all off-road vehicles be zero-emission models by 2035.
State Sen. Pete Harckham, a Democrat, introduced the bill signed Wednesday by Hochul.
"The devastation from Tropical Storm Ida proves, once again, that half-measures in dealing with climate change are of little benefit to us," Harckham said in the state release. "We need to take decisive action right now, and enacting this law shows how New York can lead the way to positively impact our environment."
Reuters contributed to this story.
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