Most of Maryland's top elected officials say they're committed to helping the environment, yet many of them get around in large sport utility vehicles.
Gov. Martin O'Malley, Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and the executives of Anne Arundel, Harford, Prince George's and Montgomery counties all say they are fans of energy savings and foes of global warming.
And all of them use vehicles environmentalists see as examples of excess.
While a few elected officials have turned to hybrid vehicles, O'Malley, Brown, and Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett travel in huge, ethanol-fueled Chevrolet Suburbans. Anne Arundel Executive John R. Leopold and Dixon use almost-as-large Ford Expeditions. Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson travels in a Cadillac Escalade SUV; Harford Executive David R. Craig uses a slightly smaller Chevy Trailblazer; and Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger relies on a GM Yukon Denali.
"He's a big guy, so he really likes a big vehicle," said Heather Molino, Ruppersberger's spokeswoman.
A spokesman for O'Malley, who has garnered publicity for his goal of cutting Maryland's greenhouse gases 90 percent by 2050, said the choice of vehicle is not the governor's or lieutenant governor's to make.
"The Maryland State Police determine what vehicles would be used for this administration - the size, make, and model. We're using the same vehicle that [former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.] did," spokesman Rick Abbruzzese said.
O'Malley and Brown might get new GM Tahoe hybrids when they become available this year to replace the Suburbans, said state police spokesman Greg Shipley and 1st Sgt. Charley Ardolini, who runs the state's executive protection detail.
Shipley said the state police decided on the Suburbans based on safety considerations and the need for cargo space.
"We carry a lot of equipment in these vehicles," he said, including medical supplies, communications gear and other items he declined to disclose.
Environmental activists question the choice of such large vehicles.
"Gas guzzling has been out of control," said John DeCicco, senior fellow for automotive strategies for the national Environmental Defense Fund.
"People don't need to be driving around in their living rooms," said Lee Walker-Oxenham, a former Sierra Club activist in Howard County, who said the examples set by elected officials are important.
