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A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Morgan Folger, Environment America Destination: Zero Carbon Campaign Director, mfolger@environmentamerica.org, 203-343-1736
Taran Volckhausen, Communication Associate, tvolckhausen@publicinterestnetwork.org, 720-212-9955

Minnesota Moves Toward Adopting Advanced Clean Cars Program

The rule clears a path for Minnesota to become the 14th state to follow the low emission vehicle (LEV) standards.

PAUL, Minn.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) moved toward cutting the state's global warming emissions from transportation and accelerating the transition to electric cars on Monday by publishing a draft rule adopting the Advanced Clean Cars program.

If Minnesota finalizes the rule, it would become the 14th state to follow stronger car pollution standards through the Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) program and the 13th to follow the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program.

As transportation accounts for 35 percent of the state's contribution to climate change, speeding up Minnesota's transition to cleaner, electric-powered vehicles is essential for reducing air pollution and slowing the state's contribution to global warming.

Morgan Folger, director of Environment America's Destination: Zero Carbon Campaign, released the following statement:

"We applaud the MPCA for moving forward with this reasonable measure to reduce carbon pollution while improving the options consumers have when purchasing a car. We hope the MPCA will apply this same thinking to new fossil fuel projects such as Enbridge's Line 3 that continues to threaten our future.

"Rather than interfere in this important process, we call on Minnesota's legislature to respect the rulemaking process and support this effort.

"States have long set the bar for our federal leaders to follow. Environment America and our network of state environmental groups have campaigned for state clean cars programs since the early 2000s, building the necessary support before the national standards were adopted by the Obama administration in 2012. We hope more states will follow Minnesota's lead and adopt their own advanced clean cars programs."

With Environment America, you protect the places that all of us love and promote core environmental values, such as clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and clean energy to power our lives. We're a national network of 29 state environmental groups with members and supporters in every state. Together, we focus on timely, targeted action that wins tangible improvements in the quality of our environment and our lives.

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