CLEAN CAR STANDARDS

The Minnesota State Legislature begins the second half of this biennium's session tomorrow morning. One issue the Environment and Natural Resources Policy Committee will take a look at tomorrow afternoon will be a clean car standard. Jim Erkel is a lobbyist with the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy. He said the idea is based on the California model. Erkel said raising emission standards would make cars operate more efficiently, get better mileag and cut carbon dioxide but the cars would probably cost more. Erkel said standards should pay for themselves within one or two years of buying the car. The committee meets at 4pm Tuesday afternoon.