Cleaner Cars in Maine

The Conservation Law Foundation wins in the Maine courts.

"In a move that will protect Maine's new clean car standards, astate court last week refused a request by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to block Maine's right to determine howto clean its own air. Instead, the court indicated that it would likely dismiss the automakers' claims altogether. The decisionis a victory for CLF -- which had intervened in the case -- and for public health, the environment and consumers.The new emissions regulations will dramatically reduce tail pipe emissions from cars and trucks, helping reduce air and global warming pollution and saving consumers money at the pump. Under the new rules, automakers must -- for the first time in history-- start reducing greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. By model year 2016, the rules will result in average emissions reductions of 30 percent. The state of Maine passed the regulations into law in December 2005 and the automakers' trade group immediately filed suit challenging the rules. The group, comprised of the nation's largest carmakers including Ford, General Motors and Toyota, claimed that the Maine Board of Environmental Protection violated procedure by failing to reexamine industry arguments when creating the law. The Kennebec County Superior Court disagreed, and pointed out that it would likely dismiss the case because the automakers had made a procedural error of their own. CLF stands ready to fend off similar claims by automakers inother New England states as they try to avoid making cars cleaner for our environment and cheaper for consumers." Except from the CLF newsletter.