Ric Fohrman: Clean-car legislation will help, won't hurt

Gasoline prices are at an all-time high. Manufacturers of imported cars are outpacing the domestics. And our American automakers are scratching their heads.

Recently I stood in front of the Minnesota Capitol, flanked by four vehicles equipped with low-emissions technology.

Not one of these models is exotic or hard to find. They currently are available. They use everyday gasoline or are gas/electric hybrids or run on E-85 ethanol. Two are imported and two are union-made in the good old USA. I was at the Capitol to show Minnesota lawmakers and the Minnesota driving public what's possible.

We can have a robust American car-manufacturing industry, profitable dealerships, employed United Auto Workers ... and cleaner air. It's definitely achievable. Minnesota has a great opportunity to pass cleaner car legislation now and join the 12 other states that already have adopted the California Clean Car standards.

This is a tough time for most car dealers. To put it simply: The overall supply outstrips the overall demand. There are plenty of cars for sale but not enough people buying them.

The Clean Car Initiative offers more than just hope. Today's cars are already pretty darn good. Carmakers today would not survive without quality products. Across the spectrum of vehicles available, this is still the essential fact: Improving product quality improves demand.

I support the Clean Car Initiative because it will make new cars, trucks, minivans and sport-utility vehicles even better. And it will make them better sooner. I'm supporting it because it's good for my business, because it's good for car owners, and because it's good for Minnesota as a whole. We can all recognize that it's good for the environment --for cleaner air and water.

The clean-car legislation now before the Minnesota Legislature would require car manufacturers to lower carbon dioxide emissions and other pollutants from passenger vehicle tailpipes, beginning with new cars delivered in 2016.

Congress passed a federal energy law in 2007 that included improvements in fuel efficiency. The proposed state legislation would reduce global-warming gases from vehicles by twice as much as the federal law.

Minnesota has long been a leader in environmental vision. With a dozen states already adopting the California standard and eight others considering the change, Minnesota should not drag its feet. States already adopting these standards represent 40 percent of America's car-buying consumers. Minnesota should adopt these clean-car standards to show Detroit and Washington that the Midwest also wants this improvement.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resource Board have confirmed that cleaner car standards have nothing to do with Minnesota's effort to double the ethanol content of the state's gasoline blend. It is expected that different states will have different ethanol blends. This does not restrict what car and truck manufacturers may sell, nor does it cause a compliance liability issue for the manufacturers. If anything, the cleaner car standards create additional incentives for ethanol use by providing credit to manufacturers for the use of E85 in vehicles.

What I cannot understand is the reluctance of Minnesota politicians to embrace the Clean Car Initiative. I am not Big Business. I am not Labor. I am not the powerful Ag Lobby. I am a small-business owner who cares about the future of our state: our lakes, our rivers and streams, our air, and yes, our economy. I want to protect Minnesota's future, and I believe one of the smartest ways to do that is to adopt the clean car standards.

I am particularly disappointed by the silence of Gov. Tim Pawlenty on this issue. Our governor has made many headlines by proclaiming to be an advocate for renewable energy, for a green economy and for energy independence. Even the task force he appointed -- the Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group -- recommended clean-car legislation. Sen. John McCain backs the concept. Where is Pawlenty when we need his help for clean energy?

I came to support clean-car legislation because I take a long-term view. I grew up in the car business. My dad grew up in this business. In fact, his dad started our family's first car dealership back in 1912. I've seen five decades of change in the auto industry, and I hope to enjoy five more decades -- if we can sustain it.

There are no quick fixes or overnight miracles for the auto business or for the environment. Here, fortunately, the Clean Car Initiative is one solution that will benefit both.

Ric Fohrman is general manager at AutoPoint, Ltd., an independent auto dealership in Golden Valley.