One of the top three bills environmental groups pushed for during their citizen lobby day at the State Capitol Wednesday is the Clean Car Act. The bill would have Illinois join 13 other states in adopting a higher standard for vehicle emissions, which are the second highest man-made source of pollutants that contribute to global warming. It's the same bill I wrote about last year but this time it looks like a vote by the full General Assembly is likely to happen soon.
The environmental lobby day had around 175 people come from across the state and various organizations including the Sierra Club, Illinois Environmental Council, Illinois Audubon Society, Faith in Place, Protestants for the Common Good, and others. Among other victories, four new people were added as co-sponsors to the Clean Car Bill that day: Susan Mendoza, Maria Antonia Berrios, Paul Froehlich, and LaShawn Ford, who I had the chance to meet with.
The auto industry is pushing hard against this bill in every state that's considering it. They convinced the UAW and Auto Dealers Association to go along with their agenda. Among the most frequently used of their many suspect arguments is that it will cost jobs. It's the same scare tactic used against every environmental and safey regulation for the last 30 years.
The simple fact is that the auto-industry wasn't wrecked by regulations requiring seat belts, air bags, fuel economy standards or any of the other standards that industry lobbyists assured us would put people out of work. It's amazing that anyone still falls for that tired old argument.
What really puts people out of work is the stubborn refusal of American car companies to produce the high mileage, low emissions, and alternative fuel vehicles that the public is asking for. If Detroit wants to blame someone for causing job loss they need to stop pointing the finger at environmentalists and look in the mirror of their gas guzzling SUV.
The legislature will be back in session on Tuesday. During the next week is a good time to contact your state Senator or Representative to make sure they support the Clean Car Bill. The best way to combat the slick lines of big money lobbyists is for legislators to hear from people in their own district.