The best political perk around – the gas-guzzling state-owned SUV – is about to bite the dust, under a sweeping global warming attack plan Gov. Mitt Romney's development chief is slated to release today.
Once doled out as a trophy to politically connected public workers, all state-owned SUVs will now be phased out as their leases expire, said Commonwealth Development Deputy Secretary Gina McCarthy.
In their place, the state plans to start snapping up fuel-efficient hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius, which are smaller and use less gas by relying partly on electric power.
Because SUVs keep getting bigger, the automobile sector is one of the few where greenhouse gas pollutants continue to rise, even as other sectors are clamping down, McCarthy said.
“That's the one sector where we have the most difficulty on greenhouse gas reductions,'' McCarthy said. “You have to attack not just the transportation infrastructure, but also the vehicles themselves. ''
Romney used to tool around in a massive Ford Expedition, but traded it for a sedan for “environmental reasons,'' an aide said.
The SUV ban is just one recommendation among dozens that will be offered today, under a “Climate Protection Plan'' that's been the focal point of Commonwealth Development chief Douglas I. Foy's efforts.
The plan codifies pledges made in 2001 by the New England governors and Eastern Canadian premiers, and vaults Massachusetts into the vanguard of efforts to arrest worldwide rising temperatures that could spark violent weather patterns, swamp the coastlines, kill marine wildlife and hamper the tourism industry.
Other proposals include opening the HOV lanes to fuel efficient vehicles, possibly offering tax breaks for such cars, forcing state agencies to get rid of greasy, old fleets and use more renewable energy, as well as encouraging cities and towns to plant trees.
While environmentalists are expected to be thrilled, business leaders have voiced fears that a Massachusetts-goes-it-alone policy could put the state at a competitive disadvantage.
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