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Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors Inc., introduced the Model X, its first sport utility vehicle, at the company's headquarters this week in Fremont, Calif., Sept. 29. The company says the $132,000 electric vehicle ranges 250 miles on a fully charged 90-kilowatt battery. It features falcon-winged doors, seats seven adults and can go from zero to 60 mph in less than four seconds.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press)
By Rep. Jessica Vega Pederson
As a mother and as an Oregonian, I have often said that our children deserve to inherit a brighter, healthier, and more sustainable future -- one where everyone has a chance to share in our state's prosperity. But what does it mean to be sustainable -- and what leads to prosperity?
After yet another Oregonian/OregonLive editorial that ignores the many real and measurable clean air benefits of Oregon's clean fuels standard, let me clear the air. In East Portland, air quality is a real and persistent issue. As this map from Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality shows, almost every area of my district has air pollution that exceeds benchmarks by 50 to 100 times -- if not more. Our children are exposed to soot and cancer-causing chemicals like benzene that are emitted by gasoline and diesel fuels. These pollutants can trigger asthma, heart attacks and other health emergencies. If we want to leave a cleaner Oregon, we can start by providing cleaner air.
The clean fuels standard tackles our air quality issues in two ways. First, the clean fuels standard effectively addresses the climate-changing emissions from the tailpipes of buses, trucks and cars in a way that has never been addressed before -- by reducing the pollution from fuels themselves. This pollution makes up nearly 40 percent of Oregon's climat-changing greenhouse gases. By tackling climate change, we protect health; extreme heat, like we saw this summer, means more emergency room visits as chronic conditions worsen. Heat also increases smog and thus makes asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other lung diseases worse.
Second, the standard will clean other toxic pollution from our air. Consider this: Air pollution contributes to early deaths -- an estimated 358 each year in Oregon. As a result of the clean fuels standards, pollution emitted by burning a gallon of gasoline or diesel will be reduced through a healthier mix of fuels like electricity, hydrogen or advanced biofuels. Electric cars produce no pollution at the tailpipe. Compressed natural gas vehicles improve air quality by reducing CO, NOx, particulate matter and volatile organic compound emissions. Biodiesel is far cleaner than petroleum diesel, reducing emissions of particulate matter, CO, volatile organic compounds and SO2 -- as well as the air toxics benzene, 1,3-butadiene, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde and diesel particulate matter. These lifesaving "bonuses" of the standard are why the American Lung Association has stood behind the bill from the beginning.
This is a win-win for our health and our prosperity. Right now clean fuels are saving Oregon employers money. Major companies like Franz Bakery and Fred Meyer already use clean fuels in their fleets. Waste Management has plans to convert its entire fleet of 18,000 vehicles to natural gas operation. By 2020, the company expects its efforts to save about 3.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and $1 billion in operational costs.
The oil industry spent nearly $2 million in 2014 trying to influence Oregon legislators like me, but instead, we listened to the Oregonians who overwhelmingly support clean air. According to a recent poll, 65 percent of voters -- from every part of the state -- say they support the clean fuels standard. But big oil interests won't stop trying to confuse and misinform you. Recently, one of two lawsuits they brought against the clean fuels standard was dismissed in federal court. Now there could very well be an ugly fight at the ballot.
I hope you'll join me in putting our kids' future ahead of oil industry profits and standing up to these repeated and wasteful attacks. Oregonians deserve clean air and a prosperous clean energy future.
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Democrat Jessica Vega Pederson, of Portland, represents District 47 in the Oregon House of Representatives.