As the new home of OSPIRG's environmental work, Environment Oregon can be contacted regarding this news release.Clean
cars programs adopted by Oregon and 9 other states will cut global
warming pollution in 2020 by 64 million metric tons per year, an amount
greater than the national emissions of more than 140 nations, according
to new analysis by the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group
(OSPIRG). Put another way, by 2020 the Clean Cars Programs in these
states will eliminate as much carbon dioxide pollution annually as is
produced by 17 coal-fired power plants generating enough power for 6.3
million U.S. homes.
“Clean
Cars programs in Oregon and nine other states will make a significant
dent in the world’s global warming pollution,” said Jeremiah Baumann of
OSPIRG. “These states have shown the leadership and commitment to prove
that we are capable of reversing the pollution that is warming the
earth.”
In
the absence of federal leadership in addressing global warming, Oregon
and 9 other states have adopted standards known as the Clean Cars
Program that will limit global warming pollution from new cars and
trucks starting with model year 2009 vehicles. Oregon’s program has
been adopted temporarily; the Environmental Quality Commission will
hold public hearings in two weeks and vote in June on making the
program permanent. In addition to Oregon, California, Connecticut,
Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and
Washington have adopted the Clean Cars Program. Pennsylvania has also
adopted elements of the Clean Cars Program and is now engaged in a
rulemaking to update and enforce the standards.
These state efforts stand in stark contrast with efforts by the Bush
Administration and Congress to block efforts to reduce global warming
emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway and
Transportation Safety Administration are working to block these efforts
by the states to take action to regulate emissions from cars. Later
this month, the National Academy of Science study is expected to unveil
a report that recommends even more obstacles to the states acting on
clean cars.
“We
should not be tolerating efforts by the federal Government and the
automakers to block the leadership of Oregon and others in the fight
against global warming,” said Baumann. “When it comes to global warming
we need to see our leaders in Washington either lead, follow, or get
out of the way.”
Depending
on how automakers choose to comply with the standards, the Clean Cars
Program could reduce gasoline consumption by as much as 7.2 billion
gallons per year in 2020 – nearly as much as is consumed by all the
vehicles in Florida in a year – and save consumers up to $16.7 billion
annually at the pump in 2020.
