Autos and Illinois

Clean cars would have an enormous impact on Illinois. Lower air pollutants would help people with asthma (Chicago has one of the worst asthma rates in the country) and reduce the amount of toxic chemicals released into our atmosphere. The California Clean Car standards, if implemented in Illinois, would reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds by 4 tons per day and nitrous oxides by 6.6 tons per day, according to the Illinois EPA. These pollutants are the major contributors to Illinois’ ozone pollution problems.

The Illinois EPA also estimates that the California standards would mean approximately 1.2 billion fewer gallons of fuel consumed by 2030. Not only is that good for our air, it’s good for our wallets. The University of Illinois Regional Economics Applications Laboratory estimates that 68 percent of the savings to drivers would be spent on goods and services in Illinois, instead of exporting our dollars to where the oil is extracted and refined, with a net economic infusion of $6.1 billion, leading to a net growth of more than 38,000 jobs in the state.

Illinois Moving Toward Clean Car Legislation

In 2007, the Illinois Clean Car Act was introduced into the 95th Illinois General Assembly via two bills: HB3424 sponsored by Rep. Karen May and SB0663 sponsored by Sen. Terry Link. The act would require the Illinois EPA to “establish new motor vehicle emission standards and compliance requirements for vehicles” starting in the 2011 model year. With the act’s passage, Illinois would become the next state to adopt the California Clean Car regulations.

Both the Senate and House bill have added many co-sponsors since being introduced and both have been extended into 2008 and will certainly be a topic of much debate in the Spring legislative session.

In 2006 Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed the Climate Change Advisory Group to make recommendations for ways to reduce Illinois’ greenhouse gas emission. One of the recommendations recently approved by the group was for Illinois to adopt a Clean Car Program based on the California model.

Clean Cars Implementation

The major automakers have been fighting to keep state clean car standards from going in to effect. In 2004, they filed suits in state and federal court in California, Vermont and Rhode Island to keep the states from implementing vehicle global warming pollution regulation. In September 2007, Vermont U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions rejected all of the carmakers' and dealers' challenges to the standards, ruling that carmakers can meet new clean car standards. The California case is still pending, but the Vermont ruling sets a very strong precedent.

Also ongoing is the issue of federal approval. To implement the clean car law, California must seek a waiver from the U.S. EPA under the Clean Air Act. California requested the waiver in December 2005, and even though U.S. EPA has routinely granted other waivers, they have so far refused to act on the waiver request In November, California sued the federal government to get them to act on the waiver and Illinois is one of 14 states that have joined California in its lawsuit.