SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Last week, Californian Assemblyman Phil Ting yanked his AB 1745 rulemaking proposal that called for a statewide transition to electric vehicles from fossil-fueled vehicles by 2040. “If we want clean air, we need clean cars. For the sake of our health and our environment, we need to move away from gas-powered vehicles. While we won't be able to achieve that through AB 1745 this year, California will get there ... just as Norway, India, China, France and Great Britain have committed to doing. This is only the beginning. I'll continue fighting for Clean Cars 2040 because it puts us on a path to a cleaner future,” Ting told OPIS.

Ting also had been working on a measure to ban fossil-fueled vehicles in California by 2040. Earlier this month, members of the California Independent Oil Marketers Association (CIOMA) met with State Legislature members to talk about issues about the fuel and convenience store industry. The association sent more than 400 letters opposing AB 1745 to legislators.

CIOMA pointed out that bills like AB 1745, a proposed ban on combustion engines and a prohibition on single-use cigarette filters put an undue burden on small, family- and minority-owned businesses. “These bills claim to be in the best interest of all Californians, yet they only benefit the wealthy elite in the state at the expense of hard working families,” the association said.

“Convenience stores are much more than just gas stations. Eliminating fuel sales would significantly and detrimentally impact thousands of c-stores, destroying small, family- and minority-owned businesses throughout the state,” Ryan Hanretty, CIOMA executive director, told NACS Daily. “Community convenience stores are neighborhood markets for food and other essentials, many times in communities with limited access to supermarkets or other sources of fresh food. These stores are deeply woven into their community, playing an active role in charities, youth sports and programs, and fighting against human trafficking through programs like Convenience Stores Against Trafficking.”