Measure Would Divert Resources from Truly Clean Vehicles
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT: Zan Dubin Scott, O: (310) 392-1130, C: (310) 383-0956
OCTOBER 20, 2008--Plug In America opposes California’s Proposition 10. This so-called "California Renewable Energy and Clean Alternative Fuel Act" is a sham that would commit $10 billion in public money primarily to enrich natural gas investors such as its chief backer, T. Boone Pickens, but it won’t do much for consumers or the environment. Under Prop. 10, a "clean alternative fuel vehicle" doesn't have to be any cleaner than current gasoline or diesel vehicles. It would divert precious resources away from better alternatives like plug-in vehicles.
“It’s time to stop Wall Street and corporate fat cats from hijacking California’s proposition process,” says Jay Friedland, Plug In America’s legislative director. “We need pollution-free plug-in vehicles, powered by renewable domestic energy, from GM, Toyota, Nissan and other major manufacturers if we’re going to win the war against global warming.”
Funded by state bonds, Prop. 10 would cost taxpayers $335 million a year for 30 years. Any vehicle subsidized by this handout would be rotting in a landfill before our grandchildren will have stopped paying for it. In contrast, nearly every auto company in the world is developing a plug-in vehicle, with some models slated for delivery by late 2010. Americans need these truly clean vehicles rather than those that rely on fossil fuels like natural gas.
Other allies opposing Prop. 10 include the Sierra Club California, the Union of Concerned Scientists, include the Consumer Federation of California, the League of Women Voters, the California League of Conservation Voters, Consumer Watchdog, the California Federation of Teachers, the California Nurses Association, the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, and more. Among California newspapers, at least 21 have editorialized against Prop. 10, and none support it.
Plug In America is leading the nation’s plug-in vehicle movement. The nonprofit organization works to accelerate the shift to plug-in vehicles powered by clean, affordable, domestic electricity to reduce our nation's dependence on petroleum and improve the global environment. For more information: http://www.pluginamerica.org.