Connecticut Bill to Reduce Car Emissions

[cyboexpo2002]

http://www.connpost.com/Stories/0,1413,96%...2111153,00.html

From the Connecticut Post, Tuesday 27 April 2004:

"Taking a new step toward cleaner air"

In a session marked by a paucity of substantive legislative initiatives, state lawmakers deserve praise for passage of a bill last week that will reduce toxic emissions in the future from cars, SUVs and light trucks.

The measure approved adopts California's toughest-in- the-nation standards for emissions starting with the 2008 model year.

In addition, the bill requires that 10 percent of the vehicles each manufacturer sells in the state be clean, advanced-technology vehicles such as gas hybrids.

The legislation translates into measurable future health benefits for Connecticut residents, who suffer from a higher percentage of chronic respiratory illnesses such as asthma than residents in many other states.

It's little wonder. A study released earlier this month by the federal Environmental Protection Agency detailed that Connecticut has the poorest air quality in New England and the third worst in the United States behind California and Texas.

The so-called clean-cars bill should help, but it will be only part of the solution. Motor vehicle emissions contribute about 40 percent of the state's air pollution.

There remains a need for the federal government to crack down on Southern and Midwestern coal-burning power plants whose dirty emissions are blown in the Northeast by prevailing winds and to restrict emission standards for tractor-trailer trucks.

In approving the clean-cars bill, Connecticut joins Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey and New York, which have already adopted a similar law.

Gov. John G. Rowland previously pledged to New England governors and Eastern Canadian premiers that the state would adopt the higher standards. We trust the governor will keep that vow and sign the bill into law.

My take:
So is this good? Well, CT is required by the federal government to find ways to reduce air pollution. As the article states, vehicles emit 40% of the air pollution. In CT, another major contributors include coal and oil power plants, as well as air pollution from other staes westward due to the airflow of the Jet Stream. It's a partial solution, and Connecticut will need to call upon neighboring states that contribute to the pollution. CT has one of the highest asthma per person in the US, and asthma has been linked to air pollution.