Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com

 

Published - Thursday, May 08, 2008

Clean cars bill will help us all

As gas prices continue to increase, it’s nice to know that some of our elected officials are taking steps to free our economy from the grips of a dwindling resource.

The state Legislature is debating legislation, called the clean cars bill, to require car manufacturers to lower global warming emissions and other pollutants from passenger vehicle tailpipes.

The clean cars bill will help Minnesota move toward energy independence, economic development and clean air for our kids and grandkids. Reducing tailpipe emissions from new cars will save us all money, through improved efficiency and fuel savings at the pump. The clean car standards exceed even the newest proposal of the federal government in terms of fuel economy.

I am confused by Rep. Gene Pelowski’s vote against this bill in a House committee hearing. Luckily, the bill passed the committee and can still be made into law. I do hope that he will vote in favor of the bill when it gets to the House floor, as it is the right step for our air quality, for our economy, for our transition to energy independence, and for the future wellbeing of generations to come.

 

All stories copyright 2000 - 2006 Winona Daily News and other attributed sources.