Oregon’s Governor Supports Clean Cars

In a victory for OSPIRG’s Clean Cars for Oregon campaign, Gov. Ted Kulongoski vetoed a provision, supported by the auto industry, that would have blocked the state’s Clean Cars program. OSPIRG opposed the provision, and urged the governor to use his veto pen.

The state’s Clean Cars program will cut emissions of global warming pollution from cars and light trucks and require that automakers sell a minimum number of advanced technology vehicles, such as hybrids. Gov. Kulongoski has pledged to make Oregon the ninth state to adopt the standards, and OSPIRG is urging him to use his authority to move forward this year.

“The Legislature caved in to the auto industry, but the governor did the right thing for Oregon’s environment and economy,” said Jeremiah Baumann, OSPIRG’s clean energy advocate. “Now it’s up to him to move the program quickly.”

OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING—Florida PIRG’s Mark Ferrulo confers with former assistant Secretary of the Department of the Interior Nathaniel Reed and Sen. Bill Nelson (Fla.) about protecting sensitive coastlines from oil and gas drilling.

Offshore Drilling Battle Rages On

Florida’s beaches will remain “Rig Free”—for the time being—thanks to the efforts of Florida PIRG and its allies, who defended the moratoriums protecting Florida’s coast from offshore drilling.

Florida PIRG and its allies worked closely with the Florida Congressional delegation, especially Sens. Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez and Rep. Jim Davis (Tampa), to keep a moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling in place despite pressure from the industry. However, the federal energy bill passed this year includes a provision that would allow the oil industry to conduct an “inventory” of offshore fossil fuel resources up and down the east and west coasts of Florida, despite the fact that the state’s hard won moratoriums protect these areas against drilling activity.

“Exxon, Chevron and their allies in Congress know that an inventory would be an important step in opening up areas currently protected from offshore drilling,” said Florida PIRG’s Mark Ferrulo. “Inventories consist of thousands of underwater explosions; they cause untold environmental harm, especially to the state’s fisheries and marine mammal populations.”

Illinois Cleans Up Mercury Pollution

On Jan. 5, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich proposed that Illinois require its coal-burning power plants to install modern pollution controls to eliminate 90 percent of their mercury emissions by 2009, collectively, and individually on a plant-by-plant basis by 2012. This would make Illinois the fourth state to adopt a 90 percent or better reduction standard for mercury, after Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Illinois’ decision to join these states is especially significant due to its much larger fleet of coalburning power plants.

“Last year, more than 15,000 Illinois PIRG members wrote to the governor and asked him to adopt a strong mercury regulation for Illinois,” said Illinois PIRG Director Rebecca Stanfield. “With this proposal, he has shown that he was listening.”

“Grandma Millie” Wins Lawsuit Against Enron

CALPIRG applauded Attorney General Bill Lockyer’s $1.52 billion settlement with Enron that resulted from the market manipulation lawsuit in which the energy giant’s traders bragged of ripping off “Grandma Millie” in California.

”The settlement is a great first step, but now the attorney general must fight for consumers in the Enron bankruptcy court, where all those owed money will be fighting for their piece of the pie,” said Steve Blackledge, CALPIRG’s Legislative Director.

Enron’s manipulation was made possible by California’s 1996 deregulation law, which intended to provide consumer choice but resulted in price spikes, blackouts and market manipulation. “We now know that electricity deregulation was a failed experiment,” said Blackledge.