Stop Illinois HB 422--Don't let California politicians tell Illinoisans what to drive
California was a costly place to live back in Woody Guthrie's day, but because of its high taxes and burdensome regulations, it takes a lot more of the "do re mi" Woody sang about to live there now.
Let's focus on those regulations. California has toughest vehicle emissions standards in the nation. Golden State elected officials put these rules in place--which among other things limits the types of vehicles that can be purchased there.
Southern Californians in particular endure very long commute times, and that part of the state is semi-arid. Illinois has a moist temperate climate. It rains more here, and rain helps clean the air.
What does Illinois have to do with this? Well, Illinois House Bill 422 will stick the Land of Lincoln with the California Low Emission Vehicle Program.
If California changes their emissions standards, HB 422 stipulates that Illinois must follow.
You got that? California politicians will dictate to Illinois the fuel standards of our cars and trucks. This could mean that certain vehicles, especially trucks and farm implements, won't be available to Illinoisans.
Limited choice invariably means higher prices. Not just for soccer moms, but also for businesses large and small (Oh, there's a recession going on), and farmers.
Oh, I'm not opposed to clean air. Today's new cars are over 90 percent cleaner than their 1970 counterparts. Two years ago, Congress enacted Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. That legislation requires a minimum 40 percent increase in fuel economy standards by 2020. Which will mean at least a 30 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
HB 422 is parked in the Illinois House Rules Committee. Hopefully it will run out of gas there and get towed to Sacramento.
By the way, Illinois must have the laziest state legislators in the nation. Why do our men and women in Springfield have to use cut-and-paste when writing laws?
Click here to customize a letter opposing HB 422 that you can send to your Illinois state representative.
1 comments:
John,
You may want to try doing a little independent research before parroting some far right political group next time. Thirteen states have adopted the California “clean car” standards, including: Arizona, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. In total, these states account for more than one-third of the U.S. auto market.
The California Air Resources Board (or “CARB”), not the politicians, set the standards based on an examination of available technologies, manufacturing costs, consumer costs and jobs. CARB concluded that automakers could achieve a 30% reduction of greenhouse gas tailpipe emissions between 2009 and 2016, and that these reductions would "result in operating cost savings that exceed the capital cost, resulting in a net savings to the consumer over the lifecycle of the vehicle."
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