Groups clash over car plan

The rhetoric is heating up over Gov. Bill Ritter’s plan to battle global warming by requiring cleaner cars on Colorado roads.

Environmental groups and ski-industry representatives released a report Wednesday that praised the initiative, which would mirror emissions standards being implemented for new cars in California.

“What we know from our polling is Coloradans are concerned about global warming and the impact of global warming, and they want to be part of the solution,” said Keith Hay, energy advocate for Environment Colorado.

“Selling clean cars is a simple, effective way to cut global warming pollution in the state,” Hay said.

Ritter’s proposal would not affect cars already on the road but would apply to new ones sold after 2011. Colorado would adopt California-approved emissions standards, which establish a cap on carbon dioxide emissions.

The Colorado Automobile Dealers Association has blasted the initiative, warning that it would drive up vehicle prices and could force the removal of some cars — particularly larger vehicles such as sport utility vehicles — from Colorado, depending on how standards are drawn up for smog-choked California cities.

Backers of the measure — environmentalists who want to curb warming, farmers concerned about loss of water and ski-industry officials worried about less snow — argue that Colorado won’t be stuck with constantly changing rules as air quality worsens in Los Angeles or San Francisco.

“We won’t be enslaved to anyone. If these standards don’t work for Colorado, we simply go back to the federal standards,” Hay said.

Environmental groups Wednesday released a report claiming that, under the standards, greenhousegas emissions would decrease 34 percent for new cars and 25 percent for light trucks and SUVs.

The groups also claimed Colorado drivers would save $600 million annually at the gas pump in 2020, or an average $8 to $13 a month per driver. That’s higher than the estimate by state officials drawing up the proposal, who have said monthly gas savings will only be $3.50 to $7.

The cost of a new car could jump $17 to $367 in the first three years and $434 to $1,064 in years four through six, according to the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization, an independent group that this year recommended the same emissions standards.

Colorado would join 15 states — comprising 40 percent of the U.S. population — that have implemented or are considering the California standards, and supporters say automakers will be able to meet the demand for cars.

Just as the auto industry is trying to summon opposition to the initiative, environmental groups have sent e-mails urging people to call the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association and voice support for it.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 476-1605 or scott.rappold@gazette.com