Call for tougher emission rules
Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, December 8, 2004
OLYMPIA – Gov. Gary Locke and legislative Democrats on Wednesday proposed that Washington adopt California’s vehicle-emission standards, the toughest in the world.
Locke, who leaves office in January, also announced a freeze on state government purchases of four-wheel-drive sports utility vehicles. The state motor pool will begin shifting to hybrid vehicles, which run on electricity and gasoline.
The proposal to adopt California’s auto standards, effective with the 2009 model year, is the centerpiece of the lame-duck governor’s package of bills to combat global warming.
“Global warming is here,” Locke said. “Global warming is real and it affects all of us. … The impacts from global warming can be devastating to our coastline, our public facilities, our agricultural economy and to our environment.
“We must take action now to reduce or avoid these consequences for future generations.”
Without stringent measures, he said, the mountain snowpack could be so little that his youngsters won’t be able to ski at Snoqualmie Pass when they’re his age.
Carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles, including buses and commercial trucks, account for 55 percent of the state’s emissions, Locke said.
Seven other states have already adopted California’s standards: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont and Rhode Island.
The California standards would greatly reduce pollution, ease health concerns and save motorists enough in fuel savings to more than pay the extra cost, estimated at $328 on the average, of buying a fuel-efficient vehicle, Locke said.
California estimates that the tough new standards will cut emissions in cars and light trucks by 25 percent, and in larger trucks and SUVs by 18 percent.
The auto industry sued California over the standards on Tuesday. Locke said Washington will monitor the lawsuit, but he believes federal law clearly allows the California standards and that other states are free to adopt them.
“California drives the market. It is the fifth-largest economy in the world,” Locke said.
States need to take the lead, since the federal government has not, he said.
The new standards require automakers to use better air conditioners, more efficient transmissions and smaller engines.
Hybrid autos such as the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius, and other superefficient vehicles, would be exempt from emission inspections required every two years in Clark, King, Pierce, Snohomish and Spokane counties.
Locke is working with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski on a West Coast global warming project. Kulongoski’s advisory group meets Dec. 17 and may also recommend adoption of the California emission standards.
Locke also proposed to:
* Establish state energy-efficiency standards for commercial appliances and products such as commercial washing machines, refrigerators and ice makers. Federal standards cover consumer appliances.
* Adopt state goals for reducing greenhouse emissions. The state would try to reduce pollution to 1990 levels by 2010, and to 10 percent below that by 2020. Washington State University’s Climate and Rural Energy Center would track the progress and suggest strategies for achieving the goals.
* Require utilities to focus on renewable and energy-efficient generation of electricity. The bill also includes requirements for conservation.
House Transportation Committee Chairman Ed Murray, D-Seattle, and a number of majority Democrats in the Senate announced their support for the full package. Murray and Locke said Republicans also have expressed interest, and that bipartisan votes are likely.
Locke said he hasn’t yet lobbied his successor, Republican Dino Rossi, but is optimistic that he will take up the cause. Rossi is a board member of the Nature Conservancy, which endorses the legislation, Murray said.
