Maryland’s Clean Cars Act Helped Spur Federal Action
Washington – President Barack Obama announced today new national standards for emissions of global warming pollution from cars and light trucks. The standards will increase fuel economy and decrease global warming pollution by 2016.
“This action will save consumers money and help the environment at the same time,” said Environment Maryland State Director Brad Heavner, who attended the announcement at the White House. “Endless foot-dragging has changed to decisive action with the new administration.”
Maryland adopted the Clean Cars Act in 2007. The state law has been projected to reduce global warming pollution by 4.4 million tons per year by 2016 when it is fully phased in. Thirteen other states have also adopted the Clean Cars Program that was spearheaded by California. That program will now be replaced by the equivalent national standards.
“It took years of work in more than a dozen states to bring us to this point, but today’s action makes every bit of that work worthwhile,” added Heavner.
Requiring new technologies will increase the sale price of an average car, but that will be more than offset by reduced fuel costs. Car loan payments go up a little, but costs go down more than that, saving consumers money from the very first mile if they finance the purchase of a new car. The average consumer in Maryland is projected to save $245-$560 per year by 2016.
The federal government had never previously set limits for carbon dioxide, despite the irrefutable evidence of its contribution to global warming. Global warming pollution from cars and light trucks has increased by 32 percent since 1990.
