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California Needs to Pass AB 493 Before Friday's Deadline To Combat Global Warming Because Bush Administration is Failing to Act

By Rosemary Shahan
President
Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety

Auto manufacturers and dealers are trying to kill the single most important bill in Sacramento to reduce greenhouse gas emissions spewed into the air night and day by the leading culprits -- motor vehicles. You would think this bill would be a no-brainer for any lawmaker who wants to keep his or her legislative district above water. But that would be to underestimate the ability of the auto Neanderthals to obfuscate.

The bill is up for a key vote next Wednesday or Thursday, so now is the time for those of us who are rather fond of life on our planet to take action. Call your Assemblymember and urge him/her to vote yes on AB 493.

The author is Assemblymember Ira Ruskin (D-Redwood City). If enacted, AB 493 will accelerate the availability of affordable low-emissions vehicles. Since the Bushites are in global warming denial, it falls to the states to act. Once again, California will be leading the way, but only if we win.

How it works is simple: AB 493 will add a surcharge onto the worst gas-guzzlers, and use the funds to provide rebates for gas-sippers.

This will make lower emissions vehicles more affordable for moderate and low income consumers who also care about the environment. Each category of vehicle, including pickups and SUVs, will include models with either no surcharge or a rebate, preserving consumer choice. So if you want a minivan for your family, you can get, say, a Honda Odyssey at no extra charge. But if you hanker for a Hummer, be prepared to pay extra to cover the cost to the rest of the world for polluting our atmosphere.

AB 493 is supported by a long list of pro-environment, pro-consumer organizations. You can read more about it at the author's website.

To find your state Assemblymember, visit the website for the California Assembly's site here and click on "Find my district." Plug in your address, and up pops the contact information for your state Assemblymember. Call and urge him or her to stand up to the auto interests and vote in favor of AB 493!

Rosemary Shahan is President of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, a non-profit auto safety and consumer advocacy organization. Republished with the permission of Speak out California where this article originally appeared.

Posted on June 04, 2007

Comments

Wow....Jerry Brown wants to shut down freeway and major artery road development AGAIN. You may not be able to use your barbecues, fireplaces or stove vents without costly air scrubbers prior to selling your home. If your a sap and owns a diesel piece of construction equipment or a snow blower at a resort as examples, you face major modification and replacement costs on very frequent intervals in the future to stay in business.

Tsk Tsk Tsk....all this top loaded sophistication while the state leaders encourage massive increases in the welfare state by importing a huge uneducated population, a poor population with neither the resources or education to adapt to the COMMAND ECONOMY CALIFORNIA.

Posted by: robert bosich at June 4, 2007 03:34 PM

Well, help against emissions, global warning, for
modern tech on the hiway, great--looks like our Assembly shows California moves ahead of other States
to confront modern crises....
Alas. I am so upset at piles of bad Bills coming
out of Assembly now (not just AB 1634--perhaps the
worst Bill I've seen) that I may have to abandon
my own cherished principles. URL: qurl. us /fp
Go against the Dem Party (voting, Cal since 1971)
Resist the move to change the Term Limits Law. Me?!
I hated and spoke against the Law before it passed.
Now I see it hurts the govt. operations in Sacramento
just as I predicted. A stupid Law. T Lim..
But. But Speaker Nu~nez wants another six years.
And he must enjoy enormous power on outcomes of the
Assembly. They are so miserably bad---well--don't
want that he and his dearest friends keep on. Get out.
But I have not made up my mind yet. Such a hard
choice---no matter what--am unhappy.
Dog and Cat Law based on false info, even as original
excuse for invading Iraq. How many other Bills slip
by in the crowded hectic legislative fervor under
false input from lobbyists?? Regretfully, J. A.--

Posted by: John W. Andrews at June 6, 2007 12:13 PM

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