Devoted climate protection and clean air activists blockade GM from taking zero emission cars to crushers

Vigilers are turned into car sitters: Baywatch Star arrested fighting for clean cars.

Burbank – March 14, 2005 – On the 27th day of a round-the-clock vigil by clean air advocates to protect one of America’s cleanest cars- the EV1, individuals blocked car transporters sent by General Motors to haul the zero-emission vehicles to their certain death at a crushing site in Arizona.

Today, more than 15 of these cars are believed to have been taken from a fleet of more than 70, held at the GM Training Center in Burbank. Former Baywatch actress Alexandra Paul who has taken part in the 27-day vigil, personally took action to block the exit of the car carriers, by parking her own electric car in the trucks’ path.

GM’s EV1, a sleek sports car that is fully operational on electric power, was developed and marketed using California taxpayers’ money. The cars, directly subsidized with up to $13,000 each, by California and Federal taxpayers, are being crushed well before their useful lives are reached. California Assemblywoman Fran Pavley and State Senator Sheila Kuehl last week urged GM Chairman and CEO, Rick Wagoner, to reconsider the plight of these cars, in light of the subsidies GM received and of the continued value of these cars in helping to clean California’s air.

GM spokesman Dave Barthmuss admitted this week on Air America Radio that there were between 4000 and 5000 customers on waiting lists to lease the EV1, more than five times the number of cars made available for lease.

GM successfully sued the State of California in 2002, resulting in the California Air Resources Board dropping mandates for production zero emission vehicles. Subsequently to the end each car’s three-year lease, GM took back the EV1s, regardless of continued customer demand or of the cars’ useful value.

Mismanaging not only taxpayer dollars, but also their financial future, GM continues to refuse enthusiastic consumers who have offered the company $1.9 million dollars to buy the 78 remaining cars for their GM stated, residual value, and relieve GM of any obligation for continuing parts or service. Instead, GM insists on crushing a viable transportation choice for clean air and an opportunity for the United States to be oil-independent.

Supporting statements:

“Laws should made by communities not corporations. Companies like GM act as if profit is the only thing that matters. We believe that people’s right to clean air is priceless,” states Stephanie Barger, Earth Resource Foundation, Executive Director. “Companies believe that the environment is external while Californian’s believe the environment is integral to the health of our economy and community.”

“Breathing air in Southern California, including diesel exhaust, can reduce one’s life expectancy by 1 to 2 years,” said Anaí Ibarra-Lopez, spokesperson for the Coalition For Clean Air. “When solutions such as electric cars exist, the only responsible policy is to make them available to consumers. No car company profits when it loses its own customer base to air pollution.”

”If car companies and dealerships had equal numbers of electric, natural gas and hybrid vehicles on their lots, they would easily outsell gasoline and diesel options. Public opinion polls reflect that interest. In fact, a statewide Field Research Corporation poll conducted on behalf of the American Lung Association of California found that nearly nine out of 10 Californians favor laws to reduce car emissions that lead to global warming pollution. We just hope that the car companies listen to their consumers to keep up with the demand,” states Andy Weisser, Vice President of Communications for the American Lung Association of California.

“The EV1 is an exciting, fast, fun car that produces 97% less emissions than a conventional car and still does 0-60mph in less than nine seconds!” exclaims Terry O’Day, Chief Operating Officer of Environment Now. “The saddest part about GM’s decision is that we will no longer be able to show people what this car can do. Instead, we will only speak nostalgically about the car and people will wonder if what we say is true.”

Clean Air Facts:

In the 2004 State of the Air Report, 34 California counties flunked the American Lung Association’s Annual Clean Air test for smog and particle pollution.

Particle pollution is linked to irritation of airways, decreased lung function, airway inflammation, and increased severity of asthma attacks.

Long-term studies of children’s health conducted in California have shown that particle pollution may significantly reduce lung growth in children¹.

As a result of declining ozone levels since 1990, 3.2 million school absence days were avoided in 1999 in southern California¹.

In many cases, children may have greater exposure than adults to airborne pollutants².

90% of Californians live in areas that fail to meet state and federal air quality standards.

The Los Angeles area has the worst ozone levels in the nation, according to the 2004 State of the Air report by the American Lung Association. The top four cities were all in California- number two was Fresno, followed by Bakersfield and Visalia-Porterville.

Asthma, which is aggravated by and possibly caused by air pollution, is the number one reason children miss school in Southern California, and the incidence of asthma is increasing.

One in five children in the San Joaquin Valley has asthma so severe that they miss school.

By the age of two months, Los Angeles-area infants have already inhaled enough toxic pollutants to reach the EPA lifetime limit for cancer risk.

The lung damage caused by ozone exposure may be likened to the lung damage caused by cigarette smoking.

Vehicles are the number one source of smog-forming pollutants in California.

Pollutant levels inside vehicles may be 10 times higher than ambient air.

California is the fifth-largest producer of global warming emissions in the world.

www.coalitionforcleanair.org
www.californialung.org
www.earthresource.org
www.saveev1.org
www.environmentnow.org

Brianna Cayo Cotter
Media Relations
Rainforest Action Network

brianna@ran.org
415 398 4404 ext. 357
415 305 1943 cell