HARRISBURG—In
a disappointing turn of events for Pennsylvania’s environment and
public health, the state House Transportation Committee voted today in
support of Senate Bill 1025. This controversial legislation would block
state regulators from implementing strong clean air standards for new
cars and trucks contained within the Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles
Program. SB 1025, which was passed by the Senate in February, could now
be voted on by the full House of Representatives before legislators
leave for the election recess.
The committee’s vote was especially surprising given the clear public
support for the Clean Vehicles Program—and the public opposition to SB
1025. Roughly 4,800 Pennsylvanians submitted comments on the
Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles Program during a public comment period held
last spring, and less than two dozen of the comments were in opposition
to the Program. Conversely, SB 1025 is opposed by groups including the
Pennsylvania Parent Teachers Association (PTA), the Pennsylvania State
Nurses Association, the American Lung Association of Pennsylvania, and
the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, as well as by Pennsylvania’s
environmental community.
“Today
is a sad day for Pennsylvania’s environment and public health,” said
PennEnvironment energy & clean air advocate Nathan Willcox. “With
more than 300,000 asthma attacks triggered in the Commonwealth by smog
each year, it is shocking that our politicians would vote to weaken
clean air regulations.” Willcox testified on behalf of PennEnvironment
in strong opposition to SB 1025 at a December 13, 2005 Senate joint
committee hearing.
Smog pollution is known to trigger
asthma, and is responsible for the “code red” pollution days during
summer months across the Commonwealth. The Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) estimates that annual emissions of smog-forming
pollutants from cars and trucks would drop by roughly 10 percent by
2025 as a result of the Clean Vehicles Program. It is also expected
that the program would result in a 10 percent cut in annual toxic
benzene pollution and a nearly 25 percent reduction in annual global
warming pollution from cars and trucks in Pennsylvania by 2025.
Public
support for the Clean Vehicles Program was made clear earlier this
year, during a public comment period conducted by the state’s
Environmental Quality Board (EQB). Roughly 4,800 Pennsylvanians
commented in support of the program, including 1,500 PennEnvironment
activists. Public hearings were also held in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and
Norristown as part of the public comment period, and were dominated by
supporters of the Clean Vehicles Program. Ten other states—including
New York and New Jersey—have already adopted the same standards,
comprising roughly one third of America’s automobile market.
Despite
the clear potential benefits of the Clean Vehicles Program and the
public support behind it, some state legislators have worked with
industry lobbyists to push legislation that would block adoption of the
program. This legislation—SB 1025 and its companion bill, HB 2141—had
been stalled in the House Transportation Committee and House
Environmental Resources & Energy Committee respectively until
today’s vote on SB 1025.
“Pennsylvania
can’t afford to take steps backward in the fight against air pollution,
but that’s exactly what today’s vote unfortunately does,” said Willcox.
“PennEnvironment urges the House of Representatives to recognize the
strong public support for the Clean Vehicles Program by rejecting this
dangerous legislation.”
Last
month, the EQB had voted to approve DEP’s plan to move forward with
implementation of the Clean Vehicles Program. The next step in the
regulatory process was a review by the Independent Regulatory Review
Commission, and state regulators had expected to conclude the process
by the end of the year. But today’s vote by the House Transportation
Committee and the possibility of a full floor vote in the House of
Representatives puts that process in jeopardy. PennEnvironment did
applaud the five Transportation Committee members who voted against SB
1025 today: Rep. Kate Harper, Rep. Katherine Watson, Rep. Michael
Gerber, Rep. Anthony Melio, and Rep. John Siptroth.
