The Illinois Pollution Control Board scheduled two days of hearings on a petition to ban the sale of traditional gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles in Illinois.

The hearings are scheduled for December 2 and 3. Proponents will testify in support of their proposal for Illinois to adopt California’s far-reaching vehicle-emissions standards.

Opponents should have an opportunity to testify at later (unscheduled) hearings.

The following proponents are slated to testify:

• December 2: Juliana Pino (Little Village Environmental Justice Organization), Justin Flores (Resident of Pilsen), Muhammed Patel (National Resources Defense Council), and Dr. Peter Orris (Medical Doctor)
• December 3: Tom Cackette (Tom Cackette Consulting), Myrna Salgado (Chicago Environmental Justice Network), Dr. Daniel Horton (Association Professor at Northwestern University), and Brian Urbaszewski (Respiratory Health Programs)

If implemented, these standards would:

• Require Illinois to phase out the sale of traditional gas-powered cars, trucks, and SUVs by 2035.
• Mandate that 75% of all new heavy-duty truck sales (Class 4-8) and 40% of truck tractor sales must be zero emission by 2035.

Similar legislation failed to advance in the Illinois General Assembly this spring. Unable to pass their agenda through the democratic process, the environmental activist groups turned to the unelected Pollution Control Board this summer.

The petitioning groups include the Sierra Club, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Chicago Environmental Justice Network.