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If Legislator Bill Bronrott has his way, Maryland SUV drivers registering any vehicle
heavier than 6000lbs. would have to pay a $750 surcharge. “This bill is…about the largest, heaviest passenger vehicles
that are the least fuel efficient and the most toxic to our air, land, and water,” Bronrott told the state House.
Although we don’t think the Maryland legislature was really listening, the counter-arguement tells you a lot
about where this debate is headed: “Larger vehicles have lower fatality rates, and SUVs, especially the larger
ones, have the best overall safety records,” said Ron DeFore, president of SUV Owners
of America.