Gov. Gregoire�s statement on EPA approval for �clean car� standards for greenhouse gases

For Immediate Release: June 30, 2009

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire released the following statement today on the Environmental Protection Agencies approval for 'clean car' standards:

�Today�s action by the Obama Administration is a huge win for Washington state in the fight against climate change. Vehicles are a major source of our state�s greenhouse gas emissions. By having these �clean car� standards for greenhouse gases, we will make significant steps toward meeting our state�s reduction targets. And by 2020 we�ll eliminate pollution in an amount equivalent to removing 1 million cars from our roads and highways.

�I applaud President Obama and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson for taking this much-needed action. We�ve known for years that new standards were needed � that�s why I championed adoption of �clean car� standards for our state�s residents in 2005. Now, thanks to new leadership in Washington, D.C., we finally have it. EPA�s decision allows our state to implement our standards for new vehicles.

�Washingtonians will enjoy cleaner air, and we have a new tool as we work to control the causes of climate change.�