Auto dealers misleading in attack on clean-car bill

Clean-car legislation under consideration at the State Capitol will lead to a 30 percent reduction in global warming pollution emitted from Minnesota cars. It will save consumers money at the gas pump. Those are facts.

The auto industry cannot deny those facts. It cannot defeat the bill on its merits so it uses fear tactics and misinformation. The April 2 commentary by Scott Lambert, a lobbyist for the Auto Dealers' Association, is only the most recent example of the industry's false statements.

As authors of the clean-car legislation, we want to set the record straight. Our proposal would have Minnesota switch from pollution standards set by the federal government to standards used in California and other states.

Lambert and the industry have created a website aimed at scaring farmers and soccer moms alike, claiming that the bill would "severely limit the sale of trucks and minivans" so that we could "force the sale of more compact and subcompact cars." This is simply not true. You can already buy a Chevy Silverado pickup or Suburban and similar large vehicles with low-emissions technology that meet the proposed standards.

New Mexico, a farming and ranching state that has a higher percentage of trucks than Minnesota, has adopted the clean-car standards. Those standards don't take away trucks there, and they won't here. You will have as many vehicle choices as you do today, and these vehicles will still run on different blends of ethanol. The only difference is that the new clean cars will spew less pollution into the air, and it will cost you less at the gas pump.

The legislation does not affect existing cars and trucks, or ATVs, snowmobiles, lawnmowers, "oceangoing vessels" and other vehicles mentioned in the recent commentary. The legislation only affects new cars and trucks sold in 2012 and later, nothing else.

The auto-industry's misinformation campaign has been so false that it convinced one angry constituent that this proposal would ban many chemicals and paints, as well as wood-burning stoves and fireplaces. The bill has zero impact on any of those products.

However, because California had auto standards before federal clean-air laws took effect, it is allowed to set tougher pollution limits.

All states are allowed a choice; they can use either the federal standards or adopt California's stronger standards. More than a dozen states have chosen the California standards. Minnesota has not. This legislation has been defeated in the past under heavy pressure from the auto industry. Its opposition is not a surprise, because automakers have consistently lobbied against every safety requirement, every consumer-protection measure and every environmental standard.

The tide is turning, and the bill could pass this year. There is strong public support for the proposal -- a recent poll showed 75 percent of voters support legislation requiring new cars and trucks to meet lower emission standards. However, this legislation will not pass without a fight.

Clean-car legislation is not just about the cars we drive, it's about the air we breathe. This legislation will reduce global warming pollution from passenger vehicles by twice as much as federal energy law; it is twice as good for our air.

It would be more convenient to listen to the auto industry and ignore this problem. Our generation can continue as we have been without regard to posterity. But this is not good stewardship. California took the lead in addressing auto greenhouse gas emissions; other states have followed. Minnesota, once a leader in environmental protection, should be the next state on that list. Not for our sake, but for the sake of our grandchildren's grandchildren.