California Emissions for Minnesota?
A bill to adopt California emissions standards in Minnesota [HR 863/SF 481] was introduced by DFL Rep Melissa Hortman from Brooklyn Park and passed the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources yesterday. Concerns expressed in the legislature are:
- Having tougher standards than surrounding states makes Minnesota less competitive.
- Adopting California’s standards means Minnesota would be “turning over Minnesota’s decision-making to bureaucrats in California”. (As opposed to bureaucrats here?)
I understand the concern about giving up the control, but I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be moving to adopt tighter standards, especially considering a number of states have already done it. Way to be a leader, Minnesota! I’m sure there’s a way to do it without tying ourselves directly to decisions made in California. I understand that states need a waiver from the EPA to enact tighter standards than EPA demands, and as such the only way to do that right now is to adopt California’s program. Which seems a little silly, but the more states that do it, the more likely a different way is possible.
Obviously auto industry folks are opposed to the idea, especially dealers that sell a lot of trucks up north. Friendly neighborhood environmental-activist-for-hire Bob Moffitt drops a link to DontTakeMyTruck.com in the comments at MNspeak. No surprise that a group of dealers is responsible for it.
Truck and Minivan drivers want to see improvements in the efficiency of their utility vehicles, but most are not willing to trade them in for a small car that does not meet their needs. DontTakeMyTruck.com wants you to know that Minnesota legislators are currently considering legislation that would force truck and minivans into extinction…
Imposing California Emissions standards would cause layoffs and store closings in the Minnesota retail market and disrupt Minnesota’s economy as a whole.
Nice fearmongering language. I also like the use of the term “extremist” like Californians are all crazy and shit.
It shouldn’t force trucks and minivans into extinction (which would, in turn, force automakers into extinction). It should force automakers to get their shit together and actually implement all these technologies that they’re supposedly spending ri-cock-ulous amounts of R&D money on. Nobody’s saying trucks, vans, and SUVs are inherently evil. It’s just that they’re dirty. So clean ‘em up. And they’re going to have to back up economy impact statement with some facts.
Didn’t Jesse Ventura do away with this already? Maybe someone who lived here back when MN had these stringent standards, annual emissions testing, state-endorsed mechanics, etc. should weigh in on this and why it went away.
I remember my Grandpa in Eagan being super pissed about having to have his Suburban taken to a state-mandated mechanic to have his muffler looked at (felt he was overcharged and didn’t have a choice or chance for second opinion).
As for me, I loved my SUV but traded it in (voluntarily) because I wanted better gas mileage. I don’t think it should be up the state to penalize independent auto purchasing/driving habits beyond EPA standards.
Couldn’t it be a states’ rights thing? If enough states choose to enact more stringent standards themselves — because it’s good for the environment and because the legislature didn’t bow to auto dealer lobbying — then wouldn’t the EPA follow?
Because clearly automakers haven’t decided to take the initiative to go above and beyond themselves, giving people the option to buy a more fuel-efficient, less polluting truck/SUV/minivan.
"Friendly neighborhood environmental-activist-for-hire Bob Moffitt!?!"
I’ve already been hired, erica!
I didn’t mean to suggest that I supported the "Don’t take my truck" thang, I just thought it was an interesting tactic. As for the California standards, well, it is a mixed bag for Minnesota, which has invested much into biofuels, which Califonia has not. Our issue id that the CARB hardly even knows what E85 is, much less write a sensible standard for it.
Some of their stuff is reall good — others would not apply to us very well. That’s all.
Best practices, maybe?
I didn’t mean to suggest that I supported the "Don’t take my truck" thang
Nor did I mean to suggest such a thing.
Best practices, maybe?
I don’t know enough about how their emissions standards are written. Seems there ought to be a way to adopt their standards with the latitude to achieve them with our own methods.
We are trying to get up to speed on the CA standards as well, erica, and so far, no one has been able to answer some key questions such as:
1)Can MN lawmakers pick/choose (amend/waive) parts of CA standards? It is our current understanding that MN cannot and we must adopt either CA or federal standards. Not much latitude there.
2) If MN was to adopt CA vehicle standards, peple need to know that the vehicles certifion process is based on the use of very specific fuels (CA spec-reformulated gasoline) - fuels that are not made or sold in Minnesota.