Three months ago, I wouldn’t have seen it coming. Maybe I had a few too many wiskey and gingers at the open bar. Maybe I don’t have a sense of propriety, or maybe I just don’t care. But when I saw soon-to-be-Governor-of-Maryland Martin O’Malley at the Maryland Environmental Banquet a few months ago, I couldn’t help but walking right up to him and posing the question. “Where do you stand on the Maryland Clean Cars Bill?” His response was funny but not encouraging. “There are two things you don’t $#@! with. People’s cars and their pets!” And he smirked. Just like this. ==>
At the time, this wasn’t a very encouraging sign for our clean car campaign in Maryland, and I wondered how many letters and calls it would take to get him to wake up. I’m guessing about 10,000, because that’s how many we sent, and our man came through.
This morning, the Washington Post (in a front page story I might note) reported that Governor Martin O’Malley threw his support behind the Maryland Clean Cars bill, which will make Maryland the 12th state to adopt California’s stricter auto-emissions standards. This is a huge step forward for Maryland, a state exceptionally vulnerable to global warning. This isn’t just about passing a bill… it’s about political power. When you see recently elected officials charging forward on a global warming bill, you know you’ve got something. And we’ve got something.
The Maryland Clean Car Bill would tie Maryland’s auto-standards with the other states (making up 30% of the car buying market) which have chosen to regulate carbon dioxide from cars. While the rules are being litigated in several states, most experts expect that the courts will uphold states rights to regulate CO2. By why go at it alone if its so expensive? Because it’s not. The Clean Car rules will actually save consumers money. While cars will cost an estimated $1000 more, the average consumer will save around $40 a month on gas as a result of increased auto efficiency. So it cleans the air, protects the climate, and saves consumers money. Sounds like just the type of things the car companies would oppose.
good work CCAN!
way to go josh! i remember that day when you were all lit up and telling me about it. wonderful.