Overview | Fact Sheet |

What's New
On May 6, Governor Christine Gregoire signed the Clean Cars Bill, which has been our priority campaign since last fall. Under the new Clean Car standards, beginning in 2009, new cars will produce roughly half as much smog-forming pollution and cancer-causing air toxics, like benzene and formaldehyde. By 2016, they will produce roughly 30 percent less global warming pollution on average. The cars will be so clean that the state will phase out tailpipe emission inspections in urban areas, beginning in 2009. As she signed the bill, the Governor said, "The Clean Car Act is the most important environmental legislation so far this decade. Motor vehicles are the largest source of air pollution in our state. With this legislation, we are taking a significant step in reducing pollution."

A Brief Summary
Cars are the leading source of air pollution in Washington, emitting about 55 percent of the total air pollution in the state, which causes smog that harms our health, haze which spoils the views of our natural heritage and global warming which threatens our planet. In the Seattle and Spokane areas, about one in 10 children now have asthma, and hospital rates for children with asthma in the Puget Sound region has increased 53 percent in the last decade.

In 2003, the air around Mount Rainier exceeded federal air quality standards three times, which means the air was so polluted it was unhealthy to breathe. In addition to triggering asthma attack and polluting our air, exhaust exposes us to benzene, a known carcinogen and neurotoxin that is especially dangerous to developing children. And the problem is going to get worse-projections show that over a million people will move into the Puget Sound region in the next 10 years, which will increase our air pollution significantly and create more health problems.

Unfortunately, American automakers have made it clear that they would rather build bigger, dirtier cars than cleaner, more efficient ones. In fact, in November 2003, GM announced that it would delay its plans to offer hybrids by two more years. Ford, following suit, decided to delay its hybrid cars by another year.
In spite of delays by the auto industry, Washington residents are clamoring for cleaner cars. A recent poll showed that almost 75 percent of Washington citizens want to buy cleaner cars. Waiting lists for the Toyota Prius hybrid range from six months to a year in some parts of Washington.

That's why WashPIRG is working with coalition partners to build support for adopting California vehicle emissions standards in Washington State in 2005. California standards all new cars sold in Washington to emit less toxic pollution starting in 2009. California and seven other states have passed similar legislation, and if we pass it in Washington, it will cut a quarter of the toxic air pollution emitted by cars and light trucks in Washington, which will reduce asthma attacks and other health damage caused by air pollution. Read more.