It’s fitting that, on the 35th anniversary of Earth Day, the Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee is scheduled to consider a bill requiring higher emission standards on some new cars for sale in Maine.

The committee should give the regulations a clean bill of health and pass them on to the full Legislature for approval.

L.D. 1465 would require automobile dealers to increase the number of hybrid and low-emission vehicles they offer for sale in the state, bringing Maine in line with other New England states and California on emission standards. By 2009, the rules would require that 10 percent of the stock on new car lots meet the higher standards. Four percent would need to be hybrids, while 6 percent would need to be “partial zero emission vehicles.”

Many dealers already carry PZEV cars, which include many of the best-selling cars in Maine and 27 different models. Already, many car makers are taking advantage of market demand for cleaner vehicles. The Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and several Subaru models meet the requirements that, on many cars, can be achieved by adding technology that cost automakers less than $200 per vehicle.

For hybrids, the market is talking loudly and clearly. There are long waiting lists for the cars that blend gasoline engines and electric motors to limit emissions. And the models aren’t limited to the futuristic looking Toyota Prius or Honda Insight. The Honda Accord is available in a hybrid model.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which opposes the bill, says Maine is primarily an SUV and truck market. More than 60 percent of the new vehicles sold in Maine are the larger vehicles. But several companies are already working on full-size hybrid trucks, and hybrid SUVs are already on the market or will be soon. The Ford Escape is a mid-size SUV, and Toyota will introduce a new Highlander hybrid soon. For those with deeper pockets, there’s the Lexus RX 400 hybrid.

Demand is outstripping availability, even though hybrid technology can add several thousand dollars to the cost of a new vehicle. But with the ever-increasing price of gasoline, the higher fuel economy of hybrids can cut the amount spent at the pump significantly.

It is more difficult to build larger vehicles that meet cleaner emission standards, but the new regulations give automakers four years to prepare, and they can easily meet the requirements with sales from models already available or in development.

Cars and trucks driving on Maine roads are the largest single source for air pollution in the state, producing about one-third of all greenhouse gases and about 90 percent of four other dangerous emissions. Almost 70 percent of the state’s population lives in areas that do not meet health standards for smog. In addition, Maine has the highest rate of asthma in New England, a problem that is worsened by air pollution.

Tougher emission standards make sense for the state, without imposing an undue hardship on automobile makers. The new rules give the industry a push in a direction they should already be heading. Consumers won’t be forced to buy any vehicle they don’t want, but they will have more choices.

Cleaner air, shorter waits for new high-tech cars, healthier people – what’s not to like?