CleanCarsIllinois.org

Rally Supports Clean Cars for Illinois

cleancars — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:42:48 +0000

Supporters of the Illinois Clean Cars Act turned out yesterday for a rally in downtown Chicago backing the bill. The Environmental Law & Policy Center is a key sponsor of Clean Cars Illinois, the grassroots campaign advocating for the legislation. House Bill 3424 would save $8.4 billion in the cost of gas, resulting in increased spending in Illinois and over 90,000 new jobs. The legislation would require the state to adopt the same clean-car standards in place in California, which would reduce emissions here. Fuel-efficient vehicles also would improve air quality and public health, including asthma and allergies. Learn more about the clean car legislation in Breathing Free in Illinois [pdf file] a report published recently by ELPC. Read more about the rally in coverage from the Chicago Tribune.

Join us at a rally to support clean cars for Illinois

cleancars — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:14:47 +0000

Please join us at a rally on Sunday November 16th to support the Illinois Clean Cars Act. This bill will save us $8.4 billion in the cost of gas, resulting in increased spending in Illinois and over 90,000 new jobs. Be there to ensure that your voice is heard! We’ll have speakers from a variety of fields, including environmentalists, business leaders, and legislators, and a hybrid car demonstration. The rally will be held at 2pm Sunday November 16th Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago, at the corner of Dearborn and Adams Street.

Illinois Poll Finds Clean Cars Best Antidote to $4 Gas

cleancarstoo — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:51:12 +0000

By a wide majority, Illinois residents say they want cleaner, more fuel-efficient cars, sooner rather than later, and they are willing to pay more up front for them. Read the full article.

Illinoisans would pay more for clean cars

cleancarstoo — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:31:09 +0000

A recent poll found that 89 percent of Illinois respondents support clean car legislation provided they could make up the difference in two years. The Daily Herald outlines the results of the poll or you can look at the complete poll results here.

Policy advocate describes clean car benefits for Illinois

cleancars — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:01:20 +0000

Illinois lawmakers are considering legislation that would adopt California’s standard for fuel efficiency. The clean car legislation would reduce pollution, improve the region’s health and reducing global warming pollution-while also improving the area’s economy. In this video, Environmental Law & Policy Center Senior Advocate Joe Shacter describes the benefits of clean cars for Illinois.

YouTube Direktvideo link

Clean Cars Legislation Would Save Illinois Drivers $1.24 B

cleancarstoo — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:52:18 +0000

The benefits of clean cars legislation would save state drivers approximately $1.24 billion annually in fuel costs according to a new report, Dollars and Sense: The Economic Impacts of Adopting a Clean Cars Program in Illinois. Drivers in Cook County alone stand to save $385 million per year from the measure.

Read the full press release.

Some want cleaner cars on Illinois roads

cleancarstoo — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:45:03 +0000

Cleaning up car exhaust could reduce toxins in the air by about 20 percent in 20 years, a study released Tuesday suggests.

The study was released as part of a push Tuesday by environmental groups asking Illinois lawmakers to raise pollution standards on cars sold in the state over the next decade or so. Read the full Bloomington Pantagraph article.

Report highlights public health, environmental benefits of Clean Cars legislation in Illinois

cleancarstoo — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:30:42 +0000

ELPC along with our public health colleagues released a report on the public health and environmental benefits of proposed clean car legislation in Illinois (HB 3424). The report, Breathing Free in Illinois: Reducing Air Pollution and Improving Health through Cleaner Cars, shows that, each year, the Illinois clean car standard would reduce pollution from vehicles by as much as 16% for “criteria” air pollutants and up to 21% for air toxics by the year 2030.

These air quality improvements would prevent up to 250,000 lost school days and about 11% fewer premature deaths. House Bill 3424 legislation would lead to significant reductions in harmful greenhouse gas pollution from cars that cause global warming.

Illinois has one of the highest asthma death rates in the U.S., with hospitalization rates double the national average. House Bill 3424 would be a positive step toward reducing our high rates of respiratory illnesses and reducing Illinois’ health care costs. The report is based on analyses by Cambridge Systematics and Dr. Jonathan Levy, Sc.D., an Associate Professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Download the report - Breathing Free in Illinois: Reducing Air Pollution and Improving Health through Cleaner Cars (pdf).

Minnesota moves towards Clean Cars

cleancarstoo — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:15:31 +0000

Minnesota lawmakers passed the Minnesota Clean Car Act through the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday. Minnesota is now posed to be the next state to ratchet up the California Clean Cars standard in the Midwest.

Buy a hybrid last year? You might have a tax credit coming

cleancars — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 23:13:04 +0000

If you bought a hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle in 2007, you may be qualified for a tax credit when you file your tax return this Spring. The rules can vary state by state, but Illinois offers a $1,000 credit. For general background, visit the federal Internal Revenue Service page describing tax credits for clean vehicles.

Candidates and green cars: What they’re driving

cleancars — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:46:12 +0000

The presidential candidates don’t all agree on environmental policy, but they do seem to have something in common when it comes to the cars they own. Seems most–if not all–the candidates own gas-guzzlers, although a few have made a nod in the direction of fuel-efficiency. The Chicago Tribune put together a visual guide to the campaign fleet.

Environmental policy and presidential politics: An interview with David Wilhelm

cleancars — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:51:33 +0000

Environmental issues haven’t yet come to the foreground in this year’s presidential campaign, argues David Wilhelm, one of the country’s most experienced Democratic political operatives. He argues that the environmental initiatives must be positioned as relevant to the economic lives of middle class Americans.

Wilhelm served as director of Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign, and as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Today, he’s a venture capitalist in his native state of Ohio, where he is involved in funding environmentally-oriented businesses. David also is a director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. We talked with him recently about energy and environmental issues in the presidential race, and his work in Ohio.

“I don’t think it’s enough to talk about global warming or energy in isolation from the day-to-day challenges that average people face,” Wilhelm said. “Those of us who care about global warming need to figure out how we can make it relevant to job creation strategies, to income-boosting strategies. We need to get people to think, ‘This is an important component of my economic future.’ ”

YouTube Direktvideo link

Hybrid sales jumped in 2007

cleancars — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:18:27 +0000

Hybrid car sales grew by 38 percent in 2007 to 350,000 units, according to Hybridcars.com. The site notes that 97 percent of the gain came from two Toyota models–the Prius and hybrid Camry:

The other story for the year is the impressive “take rate” of hybrid versions of some cars that offer both gasoline and gas-electric variants—and the failure of others. Nearly one in five Highlanders leaving showroom floors were hybrids. Approximately one in eight Camrys were hybrids; and ratios for Escapes and Civics were approximately 1:9 and 1:10 respectively.

The Detroit Auto show is underway this week, and NPR reports that the carmakers are competing to “out-green” one another.

State to sue EPA over greenhouse gas regulations

cleancarstoo — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:22:15 +0000

California plans to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today for denying its first-in-the-nation greenhouse gas limits on cars, trucks and SUVs, challenging the Bush administration’s conclusion that states have no business setting emission standards. Other states are expected to join the lawsuit, which was anticipated after the EPA denied California’s request Dec. 19. The lawsuit will be filed in the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

EPA chief is said to have ignored staff

cleancarstoo — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:18:39 +0000

Environmentalists and state government officials from coast to coast are up in arms over U.S. EPA Administrator Steve Johnson’s denial of California’s request to implement its own, more stringent greenhouse gas pollution standards for cars. Prior to yesterday’s decision, EPA had never denied even one of California’s more than 50 previous waiver requests. A legal challenge to U.S. EPA’s decision is all but certain. One California congressman is seeking agency documents to find out how the decision was made.