New gas-powered car ban unpopular in Washington state, poll shows

A plurality of Washingtonians don’t seem sold on a statewide ban on the sale of new gas-powered motor vehicles by 2035, based on the results of a recent poll.

Earlier this year, Gov. Jay Inslee said Washington state will follow California’s lead and ban the sale of new gas-powered automobiles in the state by 2035.

“This is a critical milestone in our climate fight,” Inslee tweeted on Aug. 24. “Washington set in law a goal for all new car sales to be zero emissions by 2030 and we’re ready to adopt California’s regs by end of this year.”

Critical milestone or not, more people are opposed to a ban on the sale of new gas-powered vehicles in Washington than in support of it, according to an online poll of 875 adults – including 589 likely voters – conducted by SurveyUSA that was released Tuesday.

Of those polled, 48% of respondents said they opposed or somewhat opposed Inslee’s announcement, with 38% saying they supported or somewhat supported the decision. Another 14% of respondents said they were unsure how they felt about the ban.

The poll was sponsored by the Seattle Times, KING 5, the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public, and Washington State University’s Murrow College of Communications.

Inslee’s decision to emulate California when it comes to phasing out gas-powered vehicles has been in the works for the last few years.

Lawmakers set a goal of phasing out sales of new internal combustion-powered vehicles by 2030 as part of the nearly $17 billion “Move Ahead Washington” transportation package that passed the Legislature during this year’s session.

In 2020, Washington lawmakers passed Senate Bill 5811 – and Inslee signed it into law – directing the state Department of Ecology to adopt California’s emissions standards as they’re rolled out.

Gas-powered automobiles will not be banned outright in the Evergreen State, with sales of used gas-powered vehicles to continue.

It appears, however, to be full speed ahead in Washington in terms of transitioning to electric vehicles, with the state Department of Transportation releasing its $71 million electric vehicle infrastructure deployment plan this summer.

The Governor’s Office is not concerned about the public’s split verdict, as reflected in the poll, on moving toward an electric vehicle future.

“A lot of people are still getting to know how the requirement works and why the state is pursuing it,” Inslee spokesperson Mike Faulk told The Center Square in an email.

The Center Square asked if there was any kind of public relations or marketing campaign in the works to get more of the public on board.

“I’m sure support will grow,” Faulk said. “I don’t imagine it would need a marketing campaign as you suggest, just time.”