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What if California did away altogether with cars powered by fossil fuels?

Gov. Jerry Brown is said to have considered the question. According to a report in Bloomberg, he asked a state regulator about a plan by China to phase out sales of fossil-fuel vehicles.

“I’ve gotten messages from the governor asking, ‘Why haven’t we done something already?’” said Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board. “The governor has certainly indicated an interest in why China can do this and not California.”

The remarks have thrilled environmentalists who see tailpipe pollution — accounting for about a third of total greenhouse gas emissions — as a bane to both air quality and the climate.