Sven of the Nevada progressive community blog Silver State posted this diary here yesterday asking people to tell him about promising future Democratic leaders in Iowa. One of the people I mentioned was State Senator Rob Hogg, who is a strong voice for the environment in our legislature.
Today I received a press release from the Iowa Environmental Council in which Hogg advocated “clean car” policies:
American innovation should be employed to help us maintain our mobile lifestyles, while reducing global warming pollutants, say clean air advocates, who are examining policies that will help reduce carbon dioxide and other pollution from cars.
“Clean car policies are a win-win for Iowans, reducing global warming pollution and saving consumers money at the pump,” said Iowa Senator Rob Hogg, (D-Cedar Rapids).
Hogg and other members of the Climate Change Advisory Council (ICCAC) will meet in Council Bluffs next week to discuss “several policies to make cars more efficient and help reduce both the expense of buying gas and greenhouse gas emissions.”
The full release from the IEC is after the jump.
It’s nice to see Hogg speaking out on this subject, and I would be thrilled if our Democratic leaders in the legislature stepped up to the plate on clean car regulations next year.
That said, I can’t honestly say I’m very hopeful on that front. Mike Carberry published a strong indictment of our state’s inaction regarding several pressing environmental issues, and I find it hard to disagree with anything he wrote.
We don’t have to wait for state legislators to act in order to reduce the carbon-dioxide emissions from our cars. Daily Kos user Devilstower offered this handy list of tips:
* Drive less.
* Take public transit.
* Walk.
* If it’s too far to walk, use a bike.
* If it’s too far to bike, and there no public transportation, car pool.
* If you can’t car pool, use a smaller, more efficient vehicle.
* If you have a long commute, move closer to work.
* If you can’t move closer, take a closer job.
* If you can’t get a different job, see if you can telecommute.
But individual actions can’t do all the work on this front–better government policies on vehicle emissions and transportation generally are also needed, as Daily Kos user cryptochrome pointed out in this response to Devilstower.
In any event, it’s good to see members of the ICCAC willing to consider clean car policies. Stay tuned–the council will submit its recommendations to Governor Chet Culver and the state legislature by December.
Editors Contact: Lynn Laws
Iowa Environmental Council
515-244-1194, ext 210
lynnlaws@iaenvironment.orgJune 9, 2008
For Immediate ReleaseClean Car Policies Relieve Stress at the Pump
Council Bluffs, Iowa… Most Americans understand that cars pollute and contribute to global warming. But we live in a nation where you need to drive a car to get around and where our food travels to us from great distances.American innovation should be employed to help us maintain our mobile lifestyles, while reducing global warming pollutants, say clean air advocates, who are examining policies that will help reduce carbon dioxide and other pollution from cars.
“Clean car policies are a win-win for Iowans, reducing global warming pollution and saving consumers money at the pump,” said Iowa Senator Rob Hogg, (D-Cedar Rapids).
Senator Hogg is a member of the Climate Change Advisory Council (ICCAC), a group appointed by Governor Culver. They are responsible for developing a proposal for the Governor and Iowa General Assembly, by December, that addresses policies, cost-effective strategies, and multiple scenarios designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Iowa, including policies related to transportation.
When the ICCAC, which meets in Council Bluffs next week, they will be examining several policies to make cars more efficient and help reduce both the expense of buying gas and greenhouse gas emissions. One such policy offers incentives for consumers to purchase fuel efficient vehicles, with a goal of improving the overall fuel economy of vehicles owned by Iowans by at least five percent by 2012, twenty percent by 2020, and one-hundred percent or more by 2050.
Another policy, known as a Clean Cars policy and now being considered by Illinois and Minnesota, would require a gradual reduction in the greenhouse gases emission from new cars over time. One of the best ways to achieve that reduction is to improve the average fuel economy of cars with available technology (such as aerodynamic design, variable valve timing, cylinder deactivation).
Thirteen states have already adopted this policy, but states cannot enforce it until the federal Environmental Protection Agency grants a waiver to California. The EPA has refused to grant this waiver or to enforce federal standards. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has joined several lawsuits to push the EPA to either allow states to enforce the policy or to create a comparable federal program.
In the coming months, the ICCAC will determine how much gas would be saved by these policies, how much greenhouse gas pollution would be avoided, and how much money consumers could expect to save with more efficient vehicles.
The next meeting of the ICCAC is Thursday, June 12, in Council Bluffs-see below for details.
Thursday, June 12
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. CDT
Holiday Inn Ameristar
2202 River Road
Council Bluffs———-
Call in #: 800.704.9804
Public conference code: 484 447#
Public Comment Times: 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.The following individuals serve on the Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council and are available for interviews regarding the topic of clean car policies. (They can speak only on their own behalf and that of their organizations, not the ICCAC):
Senator Rob Hogg
Office: 319-362-2137, extension 157Marian Riggs Gelb, Executive Director
Iowa Environmental Council
Office: 515-244-1194, ext 201
Cell: 515-229-3712Teresa Galluzzo, Research Associate
Iowa Policy Project
Office: 319-338-0773
Cell: 319-541-4024Stephanie Weisenbach, Program Director
1000 Friends of Iowa
Office: 515-288-5364
Cell: 319-325-6765