EPA ridicules California's proposed ban of new gas cars
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 18: California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference at the California justice department on September 18, 2019 in Sacramento, California. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, California attorney general Xavier
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler has ridiculed California Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.
Wheeler sent Newsom a letter on Monday in which he noted that the proposal would increase electricity demand in a state with a history of rolling blackouts.
California had its first rolling blackouts in nearly 20 years in August during a heat wave.
Wheeler said the proposal also raises significant legal questions.
A spokesman for Newsom said California is leading the fight against climate change while the Trump administration tries to drive the country off a climate cliff.