Maryland Automobile Dealers Association (MADA) President Peter Kitzmiller briefed the Chamber’s Legislative Committee yesterday on SB 51/HB 44, the Maryland Clean Cars Act of 2007.

There’s already been a lot of press on this issue, and Governor O’Malley and the legislative leadership in Annapolis seem committed to passing something.

The legislation would require Maryland to adopt the entire California car emissions LEV II program. Kitzmiller pointed to a number of flaws in the legislation, including:

• This is not “Clean Car” legislation. The vehicles we currently sell in Maryland are just as clean as the California car.
• Many of the Northeast states (N.Y., Mass.) adopted the California standards back in 1992 when the California car arguably was cleaner than the federal car – this is no longer true.
• The California Car is calibrated to address California pollution issues, not Maryland issues. The Stricter Federal Tier II vehicle standards which went into effect in 1999-2000 are designed to meet the air quality needs of the Mid-Atlantic areas of the country.
• California vehicles run on specifically formulated, and more expensive, California fuel. Maryland will not use this fuel. Therefore, we will not see the emissions benefits.
• If Maryland adopts this legislation, the General Assembly will hand all power over to the California Air Resources Board. What if the board makes a change that negatively impacts Maryland? We must accept all changes California makes - it’s all or nothing legislation.
• California vehicles run on specifically formulated California fuel. Maryland will not use this fuel. Therefore, we will not see the emissions benefits.
• This legislation will forbid the sale of diesel and bio-diesel vehicles in the state. Many experts have pegged bio-diesel as the future of alternative fuel.

Rather than adopting the California standards, the MADA is advocating the establishment of an independent commission, comprised of scientists and engineers – not car dealers or environmental advocates, to study Maryland problems and recommend the best policy solution for the State.

The Maryland Chamber agrees with MADA. We oppose the legislation, and support the formation of a commission to develop ways to address the issue of emission standards from a Maryland perspective.