Ecominds-a Mailing List: Clean Cars: respondong to the MN Auto Dealers

[Ralph Wyman (rwmuusja]

EcoMinders!

 

The Star Tribune ran a letter Tuesday from the MN Auto Dealers Association
opposing the Clean Cars bill (see end of this message for letter). EcoMinds
supports Clean Cars legislation, so please consider submitting your own
letter to the Strib, as well as writing a quick note to your legislator
reminding them of your support for Clean Cars and debunking a few of the
points in the MN ADA letter.

 

You may even want to dash off a note to the MN ADA reminding them that we
are car consumers too and that we want efficient cars that respect the
environment!

 

Strib:

http://mpls.startribune.com/dynamic/feedback/form.php?opinion=1

 

Find your legislator:

http://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/Districtfinder.asp 

 

MN Auto Dealers Assoc letter author:

Alyssa Schlander
Director of Government Affairs
651-789-2949

alyssa [at] mada.org

 

 

Points to consider for your contacts (Pick perhaps two, letters should be
brief and hit one or two points and close with your support for Clean Cars):

 

- 13 states have joined California in adopting Clean Cars, so 40% of the
population will already be getting cleaner car options.  Minnesota is proud
of being a leader, why be one of the last to adopt these improved standards?

- Since the 1970 these so-called "California Bureaucrats" have created many
of the emissions standards later adopted by the EPA for cars and light
trucks.

- California has the most energy-efficient economy in the nation, producing
more GDP per unit of energy than any other state: 68 percent higher than
that of the rest of the country.  Don't we want an efficient economy in
Minnesota?

- Clean cars legislation follows the recommendations of the Governor's own
Climate Change Advisory Group.

- Maybe most importantly: Detroit has opposed every efficiency standard over
the years, and there is no doubt that this had devastating effect on auto
sales during the last gas price surge.  Why are Minnesota dealers still
following the same loosing strategy?

 

 

Thanks for supporting EcoMinds and Clean Cars!

-Ralph Wyman

MUUSJA Director/Organizer

 

Tuesday 2/10/09 Star Tribune Letters:

ECONOMY AND EMISSIONS

State should stick with national standards

The facts do not support the Star Tribune's Feb. 2 editorial endorsing the
idea of Minnesota submitting to California's vehicle emissions regulations.
The Federal Tier II Air Quality Standards provide the same air quality
results as California. The. Same. That means adopting California standards
would provide no improvement in air pollution compared with the results
achieved from our current regulations.

When it comes to the goal of reducing carbon dioxide, which is not a local
air pollutant and cannot be captured or filtered from tailpipe emissions,
improving fuel economy is the only practical way to achieve results. The
editors hailed the California standards for reducing emissions by 30 percent
by 2016, but ignore that yet-to-be-finalized federal fuel economy standards
will provide at least a 40 percent improvement in miles per gallon, and at
least a 30 percent reduction in carbon dioxide. The federal targets are the
floor, not the ceiling, and will apply to the entire country, not just a few
states. President Obama has directed his agencies to finalize these new fuel
economy rules in the next couple of months. No one doubts that the Obama
fuel economy rules will be the toughest national standards the auto industry
has ever seen.

If Minnesota were to adopt the California rules, it would mean California
bureaucrats would make laws without input from or accountability to
Minnesotans. It would result in product restrictions and increased costs for
consumers. And it would undermine this state's ethanol industry because Flex
Fuel Vehicles are restricted in markets governed under California
regulations.

This regulatory scheme has cost California taxpayers billions. And for what
results? California still has the poorest air quality in the country. Why
would we follow, when we can do better?

ALYSSA SCHLANDER,

DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, MINNESOTA AUTO DEALERS ASSOCIATION, WEST ST.
PAUL