New Jersey Clean Air Plan Without Stronger Controls On Car Emissions Is Like
"Treating Cancer With An Aspirin"
As the new home of NJPIRG's environmental work, Environment New Jersey can be contacted regarding this news release.
TRENTON—Yesterday,
the Environmental Protection Agency announced its intent to designate all of
New Jersey out-of-compliance with health-protective anti-smog standards intended
to clean the air. The new standards are designed to handle New Jersey's crisis
with ozone pollution, which causes smog, by reducing emissions from sources
like automobiles.
"Saying New Jersey
has a smog problem is an understatement—we have a smog emergency. Every
single state resident faces a health risk from air that grossly violates the
EPA health standard for smog," said Dena Mottola, executive director of
NJPIRG.
Automobiles emissions are
the single largest in-state source of smog pollution. NJPIRG and a coalition
of environmental and public health groups are poised to pass legislation that
would allow New Jersey to adopt stronger automobile emissions standards, but
a coalition of automobile manufacturers and retailers have caused repeated delay
on the bill's progress. In the mid-90s, the automakers defeated a similar measure,
but NJPIRG is optimistic that the bill will prevail during this year's lame
duck legislature.
Mottola continued, "Although
New Jersey ranks first in the nation for high smog levels, and automobiles are
the single largest source of instate smog, New Jersey has done little to date
to reduce pollution from automobiles, which accounts for 40 percent of the chemicals
that form smog or ozone pollution. Adopting stricter automobile emissions in
New Jersey is a long overdue and much needed measure."
"The EPA's action announced
yesterday shows New Jersey's current clean air plan is inadequate. According
to the EPA, New Jersey must go back to the drawing board and write a new, more
stringent and more comprehensive clean air plan. Although the EPA's action will
not directly require New Jersey to adopt California's strong prescription for
car emissions—the Low Emission Vehicle (LEV II) program—the very act
of getting into compliance with the standard will make it necessary to do so."
"New Jersey's air is
so polluted—we need to use all tools at our disposal to clean it up. Adopting
a clean air plan for New Jersey that doesn't reduce smog pollution from the
number one source—cars and trucks—would be like bailing out a sinking
ship with a spoon, or like treating cancer with an aspirin."
The Clean Car Bill, which
would reduce smog pollution by 19 percent by 2020, has already passed the Assembly
Environment Committee and the Senate Transportation Committee. It will be voted
in the Senate and Assembly Budget Committee on next Thursday. It is supported
by a majority of legislators in both the Assembly and the Senate.
The Clean Cars Bill would
ensure that 10 percent of cars sold in the state for model year 2006 would have
improved emissions technology by adopting California emission standards. Neighboring
states New York, Massachusetts and Vermont have already adopted the standards.
