Posted on 03/17/2005 9:14:29 AM PST by SierraWasp
Pollution plan proposed
Governor says goal is to remove 15,000 polluting vehicles from road
By Hank Shaw Capitol Bureau Chief Published Thursday, March 17, 2005
RANCHO CORDOVA -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to scrap one polluting car for every California kid hospitalized with asthma.
Schwarzenegger on Wednesday proposed to nearly quadruple the state fund for retiring or repairing "gross polluting vehicles," a move he hopes will go a long way toward cleaning up the state's air.
California's air quality is fragile, and the San Joaquin Valley suffers particularly because smog and other pollutants get trapped in the low-lying region and cannot easily be blown away by the wind.
Experts say pollution in the Valley contributes to more than 1,000 deaths a year
State officials say air pollution also contributes to asthma suffered by roughly 15,000 children who spend time in California hospitals each year. Schwarzenegger says his goal is to retire that many polluting vehicles annually.
To do this, he plans to spend $16.3 million in the next fiscal year for the Consumer Assistance Program, up from $4.5 million this year. The program, which began in 1998, was suspended for two years beginning in 2002 due to budget cuts.
Anyone with a car or truck that fails a smog check can apply to the state for grant of up to $1,000 to scrap the jalopy, or as much as $500 to get it up to code.
Most such vehicles are at least 15 years old and emit at least twice as much pollution as allowed under the law. According to the state Bureau of Automotive Repair, a car built in 1980 belches about 30 times as much pollution as one built today.
Schwarzenegger showcased his proposal Wednesday by crushing a 1987 Chrysler New Yorker at the Rancho Cordova Pick-N-Pull auto yard, where old cars and trucks are crushed for scrap or laid out for parts.
"When it comes to the environment, status quo is not an option," he said. "We have to leave things better than the way we found them."
Holding up a 40-pound container of rusty dirt, Schwarzenegger said some of the worst-offending cars can throw that much particulate matter into the air every year.
"This is why we have to get rid of the dirty, polluting cars," he said.
Schwarzenegger's proposal dovetails with similar legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Dave Cogdill, a Modesto Republican whose district includes Calaveras County.
Still in its infancy, Cogdill's plan would focus on the Valley -- home of the nation's foulest air -- and confine the program to gross-polluting vehicles. Cogdill would not raise taxes or fees to fund the program. State registration fees fund the program that Schwarzenegger wants to expand.
Cogdill is toying with offering tax credits or write-offs, but his bill will probably not be ready for debate until next session. Schwarzenegger declined to give an opinion on Cogdill's proposal Wednesday.
The Legislature must agree to spend more on the Consumer Assistance Program before it can take effect, and the state budget is not due until June 30.
Meanwhile, information and applications are available on the Internet at www.smogcheck.ca.gov or by calling the Department of Consumer Affairs at (800) 952-5210.
I'm appalled...APPALLED that you would think for one minute that you had to ask!
They will get my Limonomonal Phenomozine when they pry my bare toes from the accelerator!
And they will be humiliated when they find that Dr. Zoo has altered the Power Plant by converting the Framdazzel's 4-johnnyBar in the power plant to battery power at 37.334 MPH. (The theory of Inverse Protraction Of Bio-Delineated Elements in action.) The 4 AAA batteries keep it up to speed after that and it gets 104.33 MPG CONSISTANTLY!
And you know why they will have a problem getting my bare foot pryed from the gas pedal? Because my foot is covered with "tar" that I get when I walk on the beach in Santa Barbara and other areas because of the oil pushing up through the ocean floor.
If they would only start up those off-shore platforms and take some of the pressure off, we would have more oil and the environment would benefit.
Oh, and I didn't vote for Schwartzamajigger. He's just like the rest of us, screwed by a Kennedy.
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