Copyright 2001 eMediaMillWorks, Inc.
(f/k/a Federal
Document Clearing House, Inc.)
Federal Document Clearing House
Congressional Testimony
August 1, 2001, Wednesday
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 623 words
COMMITTEE:
SENATE ENVIRONMENT & PUBLIC WORKS
HEADLINE: VEHICLE EMISSIONS
TESTIMONY-BY: JON S. CORZINE, SENATOR OF
AFFILIATION: NEW JERSEY
BODY:
AUGUST 1, 2001
STATEMENT OF
JON S. CORZINE SENATOR OF NEW
JERSEY
COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
Thank you, Mr.
Chairman. I want to thank you for holding this hearing on the environmental and
health impacts of the transportation sector.
Mr. Chairman, air pollution
is a serious problem in New Jersey. Take ground-level ozone, known as smog, for
example. As of July 29, nine areas in New Jersey had logged a total of 14
exceedances of the current "1-hour" standard for ozone this year. That number
increases to 114 exceedences if you use the "8-hour" standard that will be
phased in. So we continue to have a serious problem with smog in New Jersey, to
say nothing of airborne toxics and other problems. Mr. Chairman, although some
of our air pollution comes from out of state, much of it is generated within our
borders. New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation. It is
also a major transportation corridor for traffic moving up and down the east
coast. Put these factors together, and you have millions of cars and trucks
moving along New Jersey roads each day. In 1999, more than 213 million vehicles
traveled a total of more than 5 billion miles on the New Jersey Turnpike alone.
So it's clear that in spite of the progress we have made in cleaning up cars, a
major part of the solution to New Jersey's air pollution lies in the
transportation sector.
And we have made progress, Mr. Chairman. I don't
want to minimize that fact. Today's cars are 90 percent cleaner than in 1970.
And we are poised to make further progress with the phase in of EPA's so-called
"Tier 2" standards beginning in 2004. These standards will result in cleaner
cars and cleaner fuels, and will close the loophole that currently allows the
increasingly popular sports utility vehicles to meet dramatically lower
emissions standards than cars.
But in spite of our progress, many
challenges remain. Emissions of carcinogenic air toxics, such as benzene,
continue to be a problem. And emissions of carbon dioxide have continued to rise
over the last thirty years, to the point where the American transportation
sector accounts for about 8 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.
So we need to continue to focus on ways to improve the environmental
performance of our transportation system. With respect to climate change, I want
to echo my colleagues in highlighting the findings released earlier this week by
the National Research Council. This report concluded that there are
cost-effective ways to increase vehicle
fuel economy standards
over the next 10 to 15 years without compromising performance or safety.
Increasing fuel economy would reduce both greenhouse gases and our dependence on
foreign oil. Congress should act on these findings and modify the Corporate
Average
Fuel Economy standards to require increases in fuel
economy.
I think we also need to improve our mass transit systems. In
New Jersey, we have two light rail projects that are just getting underway -the
Hudson-Bergen rail and the Newark-Elizabeth rail. When these systems come on
line, it will take cars off the road and reduce pollution. And I think it's
essential that we continue to invest in Amtrak.
Looking beyond the
technologies of today, I am encouraged by the prospect of next-generation
technologies such as fuel cells, that offer the potential for huge gains in
energy efficiency and huge reductions in pollution. New Jersey companies are
working hard to develop and commercialize these technologies. But I think the
federal government should do what it can to speed the development of this
promising technology.
With that, I conclude my remarks and look forward
to the testimony of today's witnesses.
LOAD-DATE: August 6, 2001