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SACRAMENTO — A popular perk for California drivers of electric and low-emission cars is coming to an end.
Beginning Oct. 1, motorists with a Clean Air Vehicle decal will no longer be able to drive solo in carpool lanes because the program was not extended by the federal government, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
The carpool benefit was promoted as a cost-effective incentive to encourage Californians to buy clean and zero-emission vehicles. More than a million motorists have applied for the decal since it became available more than two decades ago. There are roughly a half million vehicles in California with active decals, allowing them to use the carpool lane alone. Last month, the DMV stopped issuing new decals and warned that the program could be ending.
Extending the program would have required approval from Congress and President Trump.
“A Trump traffic jam is on its way to California and other states — all because Republicans in Congress decided to let a wildly successful bipartisan program expire,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “That’s Trump’s America: more traffic, more smog and a government more committed to slashing proven programs than solving real problems.”
California is one of 13 states offering the benefit. Vehicles that qualified included fuel-cell electric, natural gas or plug-in electric cars.
Last year, Newsom signed a bill that extended California’s decal program until 2027, but the state will no longer be able to continue it without federal authority, the governor’s office said. According to the California Energy Commission, 25% of new cars sold in the state are zero-emission vehicles.
Drivers in electric and low-emission cars will be able to use carpool lanes after the program expires only if they meet the multiple occupant requirements. The reduced toll rates available in some areas to drivers with a decal also will end Oct. 1.
California law indicates that drivers will not be cited for driving in the carpool lane with an invalid decal within 60 days of the program ending.
“Californians are committed to lowering their carbon footprint and these decals helped drivers be good stewards of our highways and environment,” said Steve Gordon, director of the California DMV, in a statement. “By taking away this program, hundreds of thousands of California’s drivers will pay the price. It’s a lose-lose and we urge the federal government to retain this program.”
The program ends at the same time that a $7,500 federal tax credit for new electric vehicles expires.
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Melody Gutierrez is an investigative reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she covered state government and politics for The Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Sacramento Bee. Gutierrez has written award-winning government accountability stories on wasteful spending, pension spiking, rape kit backlogs and failures in the foster care system.
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