Lincoln Chafee: “H.R. 8 was developed to address part of the air pollution in southern California that has proven difficult to control.…”

“H.R. 8 was developed to address part of the air pollution in southern California that has proven difficult to control. The pollution source in question is emissions from cars and trucks crossing into the San Diego area from Mexico. Those of us who work on the problems of air pollution are well aware of the strict auto emissions standards California has put in place in an effort to meet national air quality standards. Many of the cars crossing the border from Mexico greatly exceed the standards that California cars are expected to meet. California has an extremely difficult task in trying to improve its air quality. The excess emissions from cross-border traffic is estimated to be 13 percent of the excess pollution from cars and trucks in the San Diego area. So, H.R. 8 was written to allow cars to be checked as they come across the border to ensure that those cars coming into the U.S. on a regular basis comply with State emission standards.”