RIPIRG and Clean
Water Action applaud city for adopting fuel-efficient purchasing ordinance and
urge final passage of statewide clean cars standard resolution
As the new home of RIPIRG's environmental work, Environment Rhode Island can be contacted regarding this news release.
PROVIDENCE, R.I.- On January 8, 2004 the Providence City Council voted on two measures designed to reduce air
pollution and to call attention to the public health problems associated with
car emissions.
The Council adopted an ordinance
requiring the city to purchase fuel-efficient vehicles and scheduled a final
vote on a resolution supporting a statewide Clean Cars Standard, both introduced
by City Councilman David Segal.
"These measures are
an important step in addressing air pollution problems in Providence,"
said Segal.
The procurement ordinance
requires that when purchasing new cars, the city must buy the most fuel-efficient
model available that can fulfill the intended purposed and can meet normal purchasing
criteria including price and reliability.
"Providence is now
taking into account both the long and short term effects of their purchasing
decisions," said Sheila Dormody, Rhode Island director of Clean Water Action.
"Fuel-efficient cars will cost taxpayers less by saving both on fuel costs
now and on the health and environmental costs of pollution over the long term."
Other New England cities
including Arlington and Amherst, Mass. have already passed similar ordinances
to help reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
The second measure calls
for the state to adopt the California Low Emission Vehicle Program, or the Clean
Cars Standard, that tightens new car emission standards and increases the availability
of hybrid and alternatively fueled cars statewide. The program already exists
in nearby states including Massachusetts, New York and Vermont. The Clean Cars
Standard would decrease our toxic air emissions, global warming emissions and
smog and soot emissions from cars, SUVs and light trucks. The resolution urges
Governor Carcieri to implement this program statewide.
"If we are going to
tackle our air pollution problems in Providence and across Rhode Island we need
to clean up our cars," said Matthew Auten, Clean Air Associate at RIPIRG.
"It is great that cities like Providence are taking the initiative and
leading by example, now we encourage state officials and Governor Carcieri to
do the same."
Vehicles are Rhode Island's
largest in-state source of air pollution releasing 40 percent of the smog forming
nitrogen and 36 percent of the hazardous air toxics found in the state's air.
The average car on the road today will also spew 50 tons of carbon dioxide—the
leading cause of global warming.
Air pollution is known to
cause a wide variety of health problems including lung damage, heart damage
and cancer. Children, seniors and asthmatics are most likely to experience adverse
health effects, but even healthy adults can be impacted by air pollution. According
to the American Lung Association of Rhode Island, over 100,000 Rhode Islanders
suffer from asthma—including 10,000 Providence residents.
Clean Water Action is
a grassroots environmental organization with 10,000 members in Rhode Island.
RIPIRG is a statewide
non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization.
