Tougher vehicle emission rules eyed

But Calif. suit may delay start

By Michael Levenson, Globe Correspondent  |  November 27, 2005

Massachusetts is set to adopt tough new standards by the end of the year that would significantly reduce auto emissions linked to global warming, joining a growing list of states battling the auto industry to produce cleaner-burning cars.

Under rules proposed by the Romney administration, cars sold in the state after 2015 would have to emit 30 percent less carbon dioxide, 20 percent fewer toxic pollutants, and up to 20 percent fewer smog-causing pollutants than under federal standards, state officials said yesterday.

The regulations proposed by the Department of Environmental Protection mirror those enacted by California, which last year touched off a legal battle with automakers after it became the first state in the nation to target so-called greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles, officials said.

After California adopted its standards, at least six Northeast states, as well as Oregon and Washington, moved to have the same limits, contending that as a bloc they could make a significant dent in gases that deplete the ozone layer. The rules are set to be phased in starting in 2009.

''We chose to continue to be consistent with what California is doing since they are one of the biggest auto-ownership states," Secretary of Environmental Affairs Stephen R. Pritchard said in an interview yesterday. ''We're continuing to push the technology limits, if you will, for low-emission vehicle regulations."

But because automakers have sued California to stop its regulations from taking effect, the standards in Massachusetts and in other states might not take effect until that case is settled, some officials say.

''If California can't move forward with the standards, the others do not have the authority to do so," said Arthur Marin, executive director of Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, an association of air-quality officials. ''It's been one of those programs that has been contentious from the beginning."

Environmentalists yesterday hailed the standards as a step forward in the long-running battle to force automakers to cut the greenhouse gases that cars produce. Climatologists have warned that, if left unchecked, rising temperatures caused by emissions from cars and power plants could melt glaciers, flood cities, and cause more catastrophic storms.

Frustrated by Washington, where the auto industry maintains a powerful lobby, many environmentalists have turned to the states for action.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents Ford Motor Co., General Motors, Volkswagen, and other big automakers, helped bring the challenge in California in December, contending that the state's standards would violate federal law by allowing the California to regulate fuel economy without the approval of federal regulators.

The alliance also contends that the standards could drive up the cost of a car by an average of $3,000, while having a negligible effect on greenhouses gas emissions. They say the rules could also force manufacturers to pull some models of cars and trucks.

In Massachusetts, the alliance retains a lobbyist and has testified on Beacon Hill in opposition to the standards.

''We believe that adopting these standards will have no health or environmental benefits," said Charles Territo, a spokesman for the alliance, in an interview yesterday.

Territo said cars today produce 99 percent fewer smog-causing pollutants than those manufactured three decades ago.

He also suggested that there was little need for new tougher standards because automakers already offer 100 models that get over 30 miles to the gallon and 60 models that employ clean technologies such as hybrid gas-electric engines.

California is allowed to set tougher regulations than the rest of the nation because it adopted its air quality rules before Congress enacted the Clean Air Act. States such as Massachusetts can then choose to follow federal rules or those set by the Golden State.

Massachusetts, Pritchard said, has chosen in most cases to follow California's lead.

The new rules do not require a vote by the Legislature, but can be approved by administration officials. Earlier this month, New York also approved similar regulations.

''It's fantastic that Massachusetts has followed up with these regulations and agreed to reduce emissions," said Jeremy Marin, associate regional representative for the Sierra Club. ''This is a wonderful way for Massachusetts to cut its air pollution that is dramatically affecting the heath and safety of its residents."

Marin cited the potentially dire long-term effects of rising sea levels. He also asserted the rule would save the state money by reducing the number of respiratory illnesses associated with smog and other pollutants.

The new standards are being proposed as the Romney administration has expressed concerns about similar air-quality initiatives.

Earlier this month, a group of Northeast states postponed the announcement of an agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants after Governor Mitt Romney raised objections, two government sources familiar with the agreement told the Globe last week.

Massachusetts is one of nine states slated to be part of the agreement, but Romney's chief of staff, Beth Myers, had said the administration was worried about key aspects of the plan, according to the sources.