What's New
Massachusetts
already has the nation’s strongest limits on smog and global
warming pollution from cars and trucks, because of an Environment
Massachusetts-backed law passed in 1990, which requires the state top
mirror California’s aggressive clean air standards for
vehicles. That law has already driven automakers to invest in cleaner
technologies, and is a major factor in the introduction of hybrid
vehicles and alternative fuels to the market. It is expected to
continue to deliver cleaner cars to Massachusetts consumers, and
result in 30% reductions in global warming pollution from cars and
trucks by 2016.
Meanwhile,
Congress continues to fail to act on updating fuel efficiency
standards for cars and trucks—one of the biggest steps we can
take toward cleaner air, cutting global warming pollution, and energy
independence.
On May
21, 2007 Environment Massachusetts released its new report which analyzes
government data and non-profit studies to estimate the reduction in global
warming emissions, reduction in oil consumption, and consumer savings that
would result from the global warming emission standards for cars and SUVs that
have been adopted by 12 states. The
report also looks at the benefits from the additional six states that are
considering the policy. Read the report.
Brief Summary
Cars
and trucks emit approximately 40
percent of the smog pollution and one third of the global warming
pollution in Massachusetts. Moreover, Massachusetts’ air is
among the dirtiest in the nation. Still, American automakers have
made it clear that they would rather build bigger, dirtier cars than
cleaner, more efficient ones.
The
clean cars standards adopted by Massachusetts—should
they withstand a court challenge from the automakers—will result in 30% reductions in global warming pollution by 2016.
But
the state standards are just a first step toward cleaner air and
solving global warming. We also need action at the federal level.
In
response to the OPEC oil embargo in the 1970s, the federal government
enacted the first-ever requirements for gas mileage. The effort was a
smashing success, raising the average gas mileage of cars and trucks
from just over 14 mpg in 1976 to 27.5 mpg for cars and 20.7 mpg for
trucks by 1985.
Today,
the issue is once again coming to the fore. Because our cars get such
poor gas mileage, more and more Americans are being forced to cut
back on other necessities to keep gas in their cars. It’s not
unusual for commuters to fill up two or three times a week, spending
as much as $50 or more each time.
But,
led by General Motors, the automobile industry is attempting to
thwart state efforts to require cleaner cars.
In addition to
challenging state clean cars programs in the courts, the automakers
are working hard to convince Congress to prohibit states from
adopting requirements that are stricter than the federal standards.
The
time is now to convince the federal government to finally take action
and require auto manufacturers to meet a gas mileage standard of 40
miles per gallon within 10 years. Environment Massachusetts is also
working to block automakers from passing a bill in Congress to
preempt state authority to adopt strong clean air protections.
