The clean cars bill stalled in the State House on Wednesday when it became clear no one knew quite how adopting California?s strict standards would impact Maryland.
Senate Minority Whip Allan Kittleman, R-Howard, asked to delay the debate until today so he could clarify whether Maryland could opt out of any major changes made to the clean cars standard if those changes might hurt the state.
“I haven?t made my decision yet,” he said. “But I don?t want our state?s decision dictated by another.”
Republicans raised similar questions when the bill was debated in the House of Delegates last week; the House overwhelmingly approved the measure Tuesday with only one-third of Republicans voting against it.
The clean cars legislation would make Maryland the 11th state to adopt the stricter car emissions standards crafted by California. The bill would require all 2011 model cars to comply withthe new standards.
Sen. J. Lowell Stoltzfus, an Eastern Shore Republican, questioned the fairness of adopting a bill that could raise the price of new vehicles by $1,000 when the existing federal emissions standards are estimated to meet the same air pollution reduction goals in about the same amount of time.
Sen. Brian Frosh, D-Montgomery, said any additional cost to the consumer would be outweighed by increased fuel efficiency, and the proposed legislation would dramatically reduce nitrogen oxide, particulates, hydrocarbons and other pollutants fingered as major contributors to global warming and air pollution.
“This bill will lower the emissions of nitrogen oxides,” said Frosh, chairman of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, which approved the bill. “Nitrogen is the primary pollutant of the Chesapeake Bay. Under this bill, we?ll have 1,900 tons less nitrogen in the Bay. That?s a big number.”
