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The fight to ban gas-powered cars in the 1960s

Half a century ago, an obscure state senator fought to ban gas-powered cars — and almost won.

Just weeks earlier, the largest oil spill in U.S. history had begun off the coast of Santa Barbara, and the California legislature had recently concluded hearings that criticized American automotive companies for failing to tackle smog. “So I settle for the next best thing.” Soon the California Air Resources Board — the same agency that 50 years later would announce a phaseout of gas-powered cars — adopted the strongest emissions regulations in the nation, which effectively forced auto companies to begin installing catalytic converters en masse. As the recollections of Petris, Nelson, and many others testify, the Detroit car companies were deft and dedicated opponents of the bills to ban the internal combustion engine, and their resistance stymied the most far-reaching efforts to curb auto emissions.

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