'Clean Cars' Debate Pits Cost Against Health

"You will hear Chicken Little testify that the sky will fall if we enact these changes," said Sen. Brian E. Frosh, pictured in 2005. (By James M. Thresher -- The Washington Post)

The bill could slow global warming, slash cancer-causing pollutants and make Maryland the next front in a movement to impose stricter emissions standards on cars and trucks. Or it could force higher car prices on buyers, restrict their choices and make sport-utility vehicles and minivans all but extinct.

Environmental groups and automakers on opposite sides of an ambitious "Clean Cars" regulation faced off at a packed state Senate hearing yesterday, where proponents told lawmakers that the proposed rules would improve the health of Maryland residents and the Chesapeake Bay and opponents insisted that they would hurt consumers and the state's economy.

"You will hear Chicken Little testify that the sky will fall if we enact these changes," Sen. Brian E. Frosh (D-Montgomery), the bill's co-sponsor, told lawmakers. He quoted from testimony then-Ford Motor Co. President Lee Iacocca gave to Congress opposing the Clean Air Act in 1970 as a "threat to every person in America."

"I would urge you, when you hear from opponents, to take into account their previous predictions," Frosh said.

Under a bill that has the backing of Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), starting in 2011, every new car in Maryland would have to be more fuel-efficient to reduce carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to greenhouse gases. Carmakers also would have to reduce other pollutants, including carcinogens and nitrogen compounds that foul the bay.

And automakers would be required to sell a percentage of such advanced-technology vehicles as hybrids and cars powered by natural gas. By 2016, when the changes would be fully phased in, carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by about 30 percent, supporters predict.

Motorists would not need to retrofit their vehicles, but they could not circumvent the rules by buying from out-of-state dealerships: They would be blocked from registering those cars in Maryland, based on the vehicle identification number, officials said.

How new cars would be adjusted to meet the standards is a matter of dispute, with industry representatives saying they would have to build lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles that would cost buyers an extra $3,000. It could also make it difficult for Marylanders to own new-model vans and SUVs, which would likely not meet the tougher standards.

"Ask the proponents: What's the fleet going to look like?" William Kress of the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers, which represents eight carmakers, told the Senate Committee on Judicial Proceedings. "You need to know the cost of putting in this program. Dealers will be in the position of trying to sell cars that are not available to all drivers."

Environmental groups counter that the rules could be met through technology already on the assembly line -- including advanced fuel injectors, better exhausts and systems that allow cylinders to rest when a car is cruising. Average car prices would rise by $1,064, they say, but cleaner cars would save more money in fuel costs in the long run -- anywhere from $245 to $460 a year.

The "Clean Cars Act" stalled in the General Assembly the past three years because of opposition from automakers. The industry is fighting hard again this year, with lobbyists opening their wallets for an invitation-only dinner Wednesday for committee members at Ruth's Chris Steak House in Annapolis.

But with backing from the new governor and the passage of legislation last year to curb pollution from coal-fired power plants, proponents are optimistic. Maryland would follow the lead of California, New York, New Jersey and other states fighting climate change by restricting tailpipe emissions.