February 23, 2010

The Honorable Harry Reid The Honorable Mitch McConnell

Majority Leader Minority Leader

United States Senate United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Reid and Senator McConnell:

As environmental agency commissioners in States that have adopted the
California Clean Cars standards, we are writing to express our concern
with the Resolution of Disapproval recently introduced by Senator
Murkowski of Alaska that would invalidate the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (USEPA) finding of endangerment for greenhouse gases
(GHGs). 

Many of our States have previously expressed opposition to this
Resolution because it would represent a denial of the overwhelming
scientific evidence of real and urgent threats to human health and
welfare posed by climate change, and would strip the nation of a proven,
effective tool to begin to address this threat. 

Today we are writing to elevate a specific issue of national importance
that may be jeopardized by the Resolution.  We believe the Murkowski
Resolution would prevent the federal program for passenger vehicle GHG
standards from being finalized. As you know, under this program, USEPA
proposed federal GHG standards for vehicles that will be roughly
equivalent to both the federal corporate average fuel economy (CAFE)
standards and the GHG standards pioneered by California and adopted by
13 other states and the District of Columbia. The existence of
comparable federal GHG standards, in turn, would allow our States to
accept compliance with the federal program as demonstrating compliance
with the California program. This nationally harmonized state-federal
program has been widely praised by the automobile industry,
environmental organizations, labor unions, States, the Obama
Administration, and many members of Congress.  

Without comparable federal vehicle GHG standards, our States will not be
able to offer this alternative compliance option to automakers. Although
the Resolution does not affect our States' independent authority under
the Clean Air Act to separately adopt and enforce the existing
California GHG standards, we believe that the entire nation would
benefit from the cleaner vehicles, greater energy security, and consumer
savings that a long overdue federal program will provide. Moreover, we
understand that vehicle manufacturers appreciate the flexibility of
alternative compliance options and a harmonized national program. We
would regret to lose these benefits to consumers, industry, and the
Nation. 

For these reasons, we urge you to oppose the Resolution of Disapproval
and to preserve the hardwon benefits of a harmonized state-federal
vehicle standards program.  Thank you for your consideration,

______________________________ ____________________________________

Mary D. Nichols, Chair Amey Marrella, Commissioner

California Air Resources Board Connecticut Department of Environmental
Protection

_________________________________ ____________________________________

David Littell, Commissioner Laurie Burt, Commissioner

Maine Department of Environmental Protection Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Protection

_________________________________ ____________________________________

Ron Curry, Secretary Pete Grannis, Commissioner

New Mexico State Environment Department New York Department of
Environmental Conservation

__________________________________ ____________________________________

Dick Pedersen, Director W. Michael Sullivan, Director

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Rhode Island Department of
Environmental Management

_________________________________

Ted Sturdevant, Director

Washington Department

