Clean Cars Bill Passes State Senate

And the vote was 38-9; Gov. O'Malley will probably sign it into law within the week. Good news, but I want to highlight something one of the few opponents of the bill said:

Sen. Allan H. Kittleman, the Republican whip from Howard County, argued on the Senate floor last night that Maryland is giving up its sovereignty by adopting the California standards. "We would be allowing the mayor of Riverside to be enacting regulations that affect the citizens of Maryland," Kittleman said. "I don't think that's a good idea."

That might be of some concern, if Maryland had much sovereignty to begin with, what with the whole federal supremacy clause of the Constitution and all. Pegging our carbon emissions standards to California's, by comparison, doesn't seem like that big a deal.

I also found this bizarre:

Charles Territo, spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said the main effect of the law will be to make it harder for customers to buy the large SUVs and pickup trucks that they want. "We think it will limit vehicle choice for the people of Maryland," he said.

That's certainly true. 'Cause when it comes to choosing between getting an SUV and helping make sure half the state isn't under water in the next 50 years, I'm going with the Canyonero!