Environmentalists, auto dealers clash over emission standards
Oct 22, 2008
Tallahassee Democrat--October 22, 2008
By Jim Ash
FLORIDA CAPITAL BUREAU CHIEF
Environmentalists turned up the heat Tuesday on Florida regulators ahead of next week’s crucial vote to adopt California-style auto emission standards.
“We think that this is an extraordinarily important rule for Florida,” said Eric Draper, a veteran lobbyist for Audubon of Florida. “Florida is one of the largest green house gas emitters in the country.”
The Environmental Regulation Commission is scheduled on Oct. 29 to adopt new rules proposed by Gov. Charlie Crist that would bring Florida in line with California standards that are tougher than federal requirements.
Crist and others say the auto standards are crucial to fighting global warming and cutting greenhouse-gas emissions in a state where transportation accounts for 46 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. Florida is the fourth most populous state but the third-largest greenhouse-gas producer.
Earlier this week, the Governor’s Action Team on Energy and Climate Change issued recommendations to implement Crist’s 2007 initiatives that the group says could cut overall greenhouse gasses 34 percent by 2025 and save $28 billion.
But the road to tougher auto emission standards in Florida could be a long one. California first proposed its rules in 2005 and is in federal court fighting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s denial of a waiver to implement them. Florida has joined the suit.
At the urging of industry opponents, Florida lawmakers erected more roadblocks earlier this year, requiring any new regulations passed by the commission to get legislative approval.
Wade Hopping, a Tallahassee lobbyist for the Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers, argues that it makes more sense to wait for what the industry says are stricter national standards, scheduled to occur later this year.
A patchwork of state regulations will lead to shortages of popular models as manufactures juggle deliveries to average out their compliance, Hopping said.
Environmentalists say the industry is stalling to avoid additional costs. Meeting the standards could increase the cost of a car as much as $4,000, manufacturers say, although environmentalists dispute the figures. They say new owners can make up for the additional costs relatively quickly through fuel savings.