Despite state and local commitments to address global warming, the transportation sector continues to pose a serious challenge for New Mexico as the state moves to decrease its global warming emissions. Advanced-technology vehicles – those that use cleaner, more efficient designs or new technological advances to improve performance – will reduce New Mexico’s contribution to global warming and decrease air pollution.
At a press conference held today at Beaver Toyota of Santa Fe, the Environment New Mexico Research & Policy Center released a new report, Ready to Roll: The Benefits of Today’s Advanced-Technology Vehicles for New Mexico, describing the clean car technology available and calling for adoption of the Clean Cars program in New Mexico.
“There is broad-based support in New Mexico for bold steps to combat global warming,” said Governor Bill Richardson. “New Mexico is poised to adopt clean tailpipe standards in order to reduce transportation sector greenhouse gas emissions. This helps to increase our energy independence, strengthen our economy and protect our environment,” he added.
The release of this new report happens just weeks after a landmark Supreme Court decision (Mass v. EPA), in which the Court ruled that the Clean Air Act gives the U.S. EPA the authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other global warming pollutants from cars. The ruling will have major implications for rules to reduce global warming pollution from cars in 11 other states that have already adopted the Clean Cars program, and for New Mexico, which is considering adoption.
Environment New Mexico's Lauren Ketcham was joined at the press conference by representatives from Beaver Toyota, the office of Governor Richardson, the New Mexico Environment Department, Sierra Club, the American Lung Association and Physicians for Social Responsibility at the Beaver Toyota dealership in Santa Fe. Environment New Mexico and the Sierra Club have collected over 1,500 cards to thank Governor Richardson for his commitment to address global warming and his initiative to bring the Clean Cars Program to New Mexico.
“If we’re going to tackle global warming in New Mexico, we need to address pollution from the cars we drive. Adopting the Clean Cars program would put tens of thousands of advanced-technology cars, light trucks and SUVs on New Mexico’s roads, and cost-effectively slash air pollution and global warming emissions in the state,” said Lauren Ketcham, an advocate with the Environment New Mexico Research & Policy Center.
The Clean Cars program, initially started in California under special authority granted through the Clean Air Act, has been adopted by eleven states: Maine, California, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington and Oregon. Other states are currently in the process of adopting the standards, including Maryland and Arizona. In New Mexico, Governor Richardson has announced that the Clean Cars program will be a priority of his 2007 energy and environment agenda.
The transportation sector is the second largest source of carbon dioxide pollution in the state, making up nearly one-quarter of the state’s emissions in 2000. Global warming, left unchecked, could substantially impact the frequency of heat waves, increase the risk of wildfires in the state and decrease mountain snowpacks and available water supplies.
“Trucks, cars and other vehicles in New Mexico also create other direct health impacting air pollution components, which worsen asthma and lung disease and have been linked to an increase in strokes and heart attacks,” said Hugh Church, a volunteer and board member of the American Lung Association of New Mexico.
Cleaner cars can help to reduce the state’s global warming and air pollution emissions. The program has three main components:
- First, the program sets strict standards for traditional air pollutants. Under the program, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxide would be cut by 5 percent and 11 percent respectively.
- Second, the program sets a fleet-wide average global warming emission standard that the major automakers need to achieve. Vehicles that take advantage of the benefits of hybrid-electric motors and other advances in automotive technology can produce about one-third less global warming-inducing carbon dioxide per mile than conventional vehicles. The program would place an estimated 24,500 clean, conventional vehicles; 8,200 advanced-technology vehicles and 700 zero-emission vehicles on New Mexico’s roads by 2015. By 2016, new cars would emit 34 percent less global warming gases, while light-duty trucks would produce 25 percent less.
- Third, the program helps to drive further technological development by requiring automakers to invest in researching and producing advanced-technology vehicles.
“Putting cleaner cars on the roads in New Mexico is a critical first step toward cutting our global warming pollution,” said Eva Thaddeus of the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club. “At the same time, these vehicles reduce our dependence on foreign oil, save consumers money at the gas pump and protect pristine wild places from oil and gas development.”
Several types of advanced-technology vehicles are “ready to roll,” yet, without the Clean Cars program, availability of these vehicles in New Mexico is limited.
“Cleaner cars are technologically feasible and cost-effective. Automakers have already invested in research and production facilities necessary to comply with the program in other states, which represent nearly 30 percent of the national car market,” said Ketcham.
“Toyota is an example of a company that has been able to grow and succeed while producing a product that is better for the environment. Toyota has taken a different direction and clearly, investing in hybrid technology has been good for our bottom line,” said Matt Calavan, the General Manager of Beaver Toyota.
New Mexico has already taken a leadership role in developing solutions to global warming. Governor Richardson has announced his support for the Clean Cars program and has taken important steps to address global warming in New Mexico.
“Although solving global warming will require global and national action, New Mexico can help to lead the way with straight-forward solutions like clean energy, clean vehicles, and energy efficiency,” said New Mexico Environment Department Secretary Ron Curry.
In 2005, the Governor issued an Executive Order creating a Climate Change Advisory Group (CCAG) and directing it to prepare a report laying out policy recommendations for reducing New Mexico’s contribution to global warming by 10 percent below 2000 levels by 2020 and 75 percent below by 2050.
At the end of 2006, the CCAG, a group of 37 stakeholders from government, industry, utilities, agriculture and the nonprofit sector, issued its final policy recommendations to the Governor. The Clean Cars program was approved unanimously by the CCAG and recognized as one of the most promising and cost-effective policies available to the state.
Following this, Governor Richardson announced his support for the program and issued an Executive Order directing the New Mexico Environment Department to oversee the administrative adoption of the program by January 2008.
“The CCAG process was ground-breaking. The unanimous support for an entire portfolio of global warming policies was precedent-setting because of the diverse group of people at the table and because New Mexico is an extraction state, with a sizeable fossil fuel industry,” said John Fogarty, M.D., Director of the New Mexico chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility.
According to CCAG analysis, the Clean Cars program would save an estimated $117 per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent and would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMtCO2e) between 2007 and 2020.
Because of Governor Richardson’s leadership on the issue, Environment New Mexico Research & Policy Center members delivered over 1,500 thank you cards to Sarah Cottrell, Governor Richardson’s advisor on energy and environment issues, at the event held today.
“We applaud the Governor’s work on global warming and his support for this important program. New Mexico should continue to be a leader in tackling global warming by being the next state to bring the Clean Cars program to our roads,” said Ketcham.
