As the new home of OSPIRG's environmental work, Environment Oregon can be contacted regarding this news release.
At
an event in front of Mercedes Benz of Portland, OSPIRG and the Sierra
Club called on auto dealers who are suing to block the Clean Cars
program to withdraw their names from the complaint.
The
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers filed suit, joined by
Mercedes-Benz of Portland and Wilsonville, the Ron Tonkin car
dealership chain in Portland, Coos Bay Toyota, and Suburban Ford, Inc.,
as well as three state legislators, last Friday against two Oregon
state agencies. They are seeking to block the adoption of the Clean
Cars program, a set of emissions standards that will cut global warming
pollution from Oregon’s new cars.
“The
auto dealers should side with their customers and fellow Oregonians,
and not with lobbyists from D.C. who oppose this common sense global
warming solution,” said Isaac Silverman, a clean energy associate with
OSPIRG. ”We are calling on these auto dealers to drop their lawsuit.”
Global
warming is already affecting Oregon where scientists have observed
rising sea levels and reduced snow-pack in the Cascades. Higher sea
levels will lead to more severe storms and erosion that threaten our
coastal communities, while reduced snow-pack damages our ski industry
and causes lower summer river flows that threaten irrigation and salmon
migration.
“Sadly,
the auto manufacturers have a 30 year history of opposing basic
environmental protections,” said Isaac Silverman. “But the auto dealers
are Oregonians like us, so they too vacation on our coast, ski and hike
in our mountains, and fish in our rivers and oceans.”
Silverman
pointed out that auto dealers not only live in the same environment as
Oregonians but also have nothing to lose from the Clean Cars program.
The program will allow them to sell more hybrids, a vehicle that has
strong demand in Oregon. Also, the program is also expected to reduce
the cost of owning and operating a vehicle so there is no reason to
expect sales will decrease.
Activists
from OSPIRG and the Sierra Club held signs and distributed leaflets in
front of Mercedes Benz of Portland informing the public about the auto
dealers’ lawsuit. OSPIRG also reported that hundreds of their activists
had emailed Ron Tonkin dealerships urging them to drop the lawsuit.
Governor
Kulongoski has pledged to adopt the Clean Cars program in Oregon,
saying “Oregon should be a national leader by combating global
warming.” The Clean Cars program would phase in pollution standards
starting with model year 2009. Using currently-available technology,
the standards would eventually cut global warming pollution by 30% from
new cars and light trucks. The program would also require increased
sales of advanced-technology cars and trucks, such as hybrids.
Governor
Kulongoski is making a bold move by taking on the auto industry and
environmentalists are pleased. According to Silverman, “Governor
Kulongoski should be thanked, not sued, for bringing clean cars to
Oregon and continuing our legacy of environmental leadership.”
