We have had a request from the DC Sierra Club office to contact Senator Grassley about this issue today. Following this notice is some additional information on the topic from Sierra Club and U.S.PIRG.. Thanks, Jane Clark ======================================================== ACT TO CURB GLOBAL WARMING: CALL SENATOR GRASSLEY TODAY!! Remind Senator Grassley that raising miles per gallon standards is the biggest single step we can take to curb global warming! Call the US Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, ask for Senator Grassley's office, and urge him to sign on today to the letter described below -- the Feinstein/Bryan/Gorton letter to close the loophole that allows SUVs to pollute more than cars! TAKE ACTION! TELL YOUR SENATOR TO SUPPORT CLEANER CARS! US Senators Diane Feinstein, Richard Bryan, and Slade Gorton have crafted a letter to President Clinton urging him to close the loophole in federal miles per gallon standards that allows light trucks to pollute more than cars. Raising miles per gallon standards for cars and trucks is the biggest single step we can take to curb global warming. But since 1995, friends of the auto and oil industries in Congress have attached stealth "riders" to Department of Transportation's budget that have blocked the Administration from improving the standards. The Feinstein/Bryan/Gorton letter urges the President to work with concerned members of Congress to close the loophole that allows SUVs to pollute more than cars. This letter shows that Senators with a range of political views all support the goals of curbing global warming and protecting our environment (this is one of the few environmental issues on which the Sierra Club and Sen. Gorton see eye to eye!) So far 31 Senators have signed the letter including Senator Harkin. ======================================================= CLEANER CARS, SUVs AND GASOLINE: EPA NEEDS TO HEAR FROM YOU ON TIER 2!!! We asked for standards that would get the sulfur out of our gasoline, hold diesel vehicles to the same standard as gasoline vehicles, close the light truck loophole and promote advanced technology vehicles. Vice President Gore and the EPA responded. These standards implement the new soot and smog standards we fought for (and won!) in 1997. The new auto pollution and gasoline standards would clean up America's cars and heavily polluting light trucks beginning in 2004. The plan would also clean our gasoline by establishing a national sulfur standard of 30 parts per million (ppm)--that's 300 hundred parts per million less than the current national average. Even though the proposed standards are strong, there are a few key ways they could be even better. So, please send your comments to EPA, thank them for their commitment to cleaner air and ask them to address them to make the rule the best it can be. Here are some key points to make: *No breaks for the heaviest and dirtiest vehicles: The proposed standards allow the heaviest Sport Utility Vehicles and other light trucks between 6,000 and 8,500 pounds to pollute more than cars until 2009 -- 2 extra years. These super-polluters should be included in the same program as cars by 2007, just like lighter SUVs. *Include heavier trucks used as passenger vehicles in these standards. Tier 2 regulations will only apply to vehicles 8,500 lbs and below. Yet, with Ford's new Excursion on the way, we could see even more SUVs that won't have to meet these new Tier 2 standards. To prevent automakers from designing vehicles that miraculously "creep up" in weight to avoid the Tier 2 program, the EPA should include all passenger vehicles--from the Honda Civic to Ford's new "Valdez" (Excursion)-- within the Tier 2 program. *Close the open door for dirtier diesels: The EPA is leaving the door open for diesel engines that are dirtier than gasoline engines. Diesel exhaust has been identified as carcingenic. The auto industry plans to use diesel engines in SUVs to get a fuel economy boost. We need standards that don't give any breaks to diesel when it comes to air pollution. EPA's proposed standards would require cleaner diesels -- but not clean enough. *Speed up the gasoline clean up: The proposal includes a phase-in for the low national sulfur standard that allows the oil industry to reduce average sulfur levels incrementally, meeting a required level each year until the national average of 30 ppm goal must be reached in 2006. The incremental phase-in would allow a per gallon cap if 300 PPM in 2004, a level only slightly lower than the 330 ppm current average, and one which would still foul the catalytic converters in cars that fuel up with it leading to more pollution. ========================================================= From U.S. PIRG: Automobiles, including cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs), are responsible for 30% of smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution, and 20% of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air which also contribute to the formation of smog. In addition, automobiles are responsible for 20% of the emissions of carbon dioxide, the major global warming gas. U.S. PIRG's Clean Air Now Campaign is designed to convince the Clinton Administration to dramatically cut auto pollution and increase the miles per gallon standards for cars and light trucks. Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal to clean up auto pollution. In their final proposal, we want to make sure that the EPA: · Requires all new cars to be clean cars.. · Close the SUV loophole. · End special treatment for diesel vehicles. · Make low-sulfur fuel available nationwide. · Increase the use of advanced technology vehicles. The Clinton Administration also has the opportunity to tighten miles-per-gallon standards for all automobiles. Despite more efficient technologies and more than 3 million barrels of oil saved per day thanks to the current CAFE (Corporate Average Fleet Efficiency) standards, miles per gallon standards have been frozen at the same level since the 80's. We are urging President Clinton and Vice President Gore to oppose any legislation that would continue to freeze the miles-per-gallon standards. The auto and oil industries are fighting to maintain the status quo. The White House needs to stand up to these special interests and adopt tougher standards. We are calling on the environmental community, public health groups, religious organizations, academics, children's groups, and others to continue to help us demonstrate the broad public support for clean and fuel efficient cars now. Health problems are not the only consequence of automobile pollution. Automobiles are also a major source of carbon dioxide-a leading greenhouse gas. As concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increase, the earth's temperature rises. Scientists predict results including: the spread of tropical diseases, loss of coastal communities and habitats due to sea level rise, devastating storms and temperature extremes. The EPA has proposed a new rule to reduce auto pollution. While the EPA's Tier 2 proposal heads in the right direction, it must be strengthened before it is finalized by the end of the year. Specifically, the rule should: · Require all new cars to be clean cars. EPA must adopt tough pollution standards that require new cars to be at least 89% less polluting. · Close the SUV loophole. EPA must require new trucks, mini-vans and sport utility vehicles to meet the same clean air standards as new cars at the same time. · End special treatment for diesel vehicles. EPA must remove special exemptions for higher polluting diesel cars. · Make low-sulfur fuel available nationwide. EPA must reduce the sulfur content of gas across the nation. · Increase the use of advanced technology vehicles. EPA must ensure that electric, hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles are made available nationwide. We also urge you to veto any appropriations bill that includes provisions that continue to freeze "CAFE" standards at their already outdated levels. Current CAFE standards save Americans 3 million barrels of oil per day and approximately $3000 per new car. However, these standards have been virtually stagnant for years despite significant technological advances. CAFE standards should: · increase to a fleet average of 42 miles per gallon by 2010 (including cars, SUVs, mini-vans and other light trucks); and · close the loophole that allows SUVs to pollute more than cars. Since SUVs and light trucks are used primarily as passenger vehicles, they should meet the same CAFE standards as cars by 2005. ----------------------------------------------------------------- To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]