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EMISSIONS DEBATE * USA - EPA slaps California with first-ever emission waiver rejection
CAL,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Charlie Morasch -December 20, 2007: -- The Environmental Protection Agency has rejected California’s attempt to set its own greenhouse gas emission levels for cars, light trucks and SUVs – the first time the federal agency has refused a waiver among more than 50 such requests... Since 2005, California has sought an EPA waiver to begin requiring the nation’s first greenhouse gas emission standards for new vehicles sold in California. The law has been approved by 16 other states, and is one of several ways California is trying to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020... EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson cited President Bush’s approval of a 35 mpg federal fuel economy standard on Wednesday, Dec. 19, in explaining his agency’s rejection of the California request... “The Bush administration is moving forward with a clear national solution – not a confusing patchwork of state rules – to reduce America’s climate footprint from vehicles,” Johnson said. “President Bush and Congress have set the bar high, and, when fully implemented, our federal fuel standard will achieve significant benefits by applying to all 50 states”... Mary Nichols, chairman of the California Air Resources Board, told reporters in a conference call on Wednesday that California is willing to fight the EPA in court over greenhouse gas emissions... “We intend to persevere and to prevail,” Nichols said, according to National Public Radio...
* Emissions decision draws fire - Calif., other states vow to sue EPA for blocking enactment of stricter rules
Washington,DC,USA -The Detroit News (Detroit,Mich), by David Shepardson -December 21, 2007: -- Critics mounted a fierce attack on the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to deny California and other states the right to impose strict vehicle tailpipe emissions limits, with House and Senate committees demanding documents and many state governors vowing to sue to overturn the decision... President Bush defended the federal agency's decision on Thursday. "Is it more effective to let each state make a decision as to how to proceed in curbing greenhouse gases? Or is it more effective to have a national strategy?" Bush said in a year-end press conference. "(EPA) Director (Stephen) Johnson made a decision based upon the fact that we passed a piece of legislation that enables us to have a national strategy"... On Wednesday, Johnson denied California's request to require a 30 percent cut in vehicle tailpipe emissions by 2016, which would have set fuel efficiency requirements of 43.7 miles per gallon for passenger cars and 26.6 mpg for most light trucks... The decision came the same day Bush signed an energy bill that will raise fuel economy standards 40 percent to an industry fleet average of 35 mpg by 2020... California and other states that were seeking the waiver to impose standards stricter than the federal mandates vowed to sue the EPA. Their protests were supported by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee, who sent a two-page letter to EPA administrator Johnson demanding "all communications within the agency and all communications between the agency and persons outside the agency, including persons in the White House, related to the California waiver request"... California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday the state will sue to overturn the decision within three weeks in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington. At least eight other states plan to join the lawsuit... "(The) EPA's denial of our waiver request to enact the nation's cleanest standards for vehicle emissions is legally indefensible," Schwarzenegger said. "Anything less than aggressive action is inexcusable"... Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell called the decision laughable. "They have gone from being a passive failure to actively interfering with progress. It is beyond inexplicable: It is inexcusable"... Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, said the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which he chairs, would review the decision, but his initial assessment is the EPA is making an "honest effort"... Waxman's committee conducted an investigation this year that found Transportation Department employees had lobbied members of Congress and governors to oppose the California waiver request... Waxman ordered the EPA to turn over documents from the Office of Transportation and Air Quality and Office of General Counsel by Jan. 17, and any other documents by Jan. 23...
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