Environmentalists rallied for tougher emissions standards and more punitive action against the state?s biggest polluters at the 13th Annual Environmental Legislative Summit on Monday in Annapolis.
More than 400 legislators, activists, lobbyists, state officials and residents filled a conference room in the Thomas V. Miller Jr. Senate Building to push for the state to adopt emission standards similar to those in California for new cars.
Leaders including Shari Wilson, the newly appointed secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment, predicted decisive environmental victories in the state this year. “It?s an exciting time for the environment in Maryland,” Wilson said. “The Clean Cars Program is in the press and in the general lexicon, being discussed every day. It?s become mainstream, which means we are ready for the change.”
The program, which is being pushed by Sen. Brian Frosh, D-District 16, and Del. Elizabeth Bobo, D-District 12B, could make Maryland follow in the footsteps of 11 other states that already implemented tougher emissions standards for new cars that are sold.
“It?s a simple, straightforward solution that one-third of the nation has already adopted,” said Brad Heavner, state director of the nonprofit Environment Maryland, who led volunteers to distribute letters about the program to senators immediately after the summit ended.
Critics of the emission standards have argued that such legislation will increase the prices of new cars because they must be much cleaner-burning vehicles and force automakers to produce cars with less horsepower. But those arguments have not swayed Attorney General Doug Gansler.
“I want to be the environmental attorney general,” Gansler said.
One of the state?s biggest environmental embarrassments that needs to be remedied is the coal-burning power plants that pollute the air and harm people and the Bay, he said.
“We can?t say, ?Please don?t pollute,? because that?s not working. We need to start to beef up the enforcement side of it,” Gansler said.
