I was just reading the local paper and saw this gem come up concerning the California effort to set stricter emission laws than the Federal Government. The new EPA head decided the matter shouldn't go to court to test the legality of the regulation. Read it and weep! EPA approves California pollution rule The Environmental Protection Agency took a major step toward tougher reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks Tuesday by giving California the green light to impose new requirements that could become the national model for combatting tailpipe pollution linked to global warming. By H. JOSEF HEBERT Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency took a major step toward tougher reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks Tuesday by giving California the green light to impose new requirements that could become the national model for combatting tailpipe pollution linked to global warming. The EPA granted California's long-standing request - denied by the Bush administration - for a waiver to allow it to pursue more stringent air pollution rules than required by the federal government. It cleared the way to implement immediately a 2002 state pollution law requiring new cars to increase their fuel economy 40 percent by 2016. State regulations to implement the law have been in limbo for five years because the Bush administration refused to provide a waiver required by the federal Clean Air Act. Thirteen other states and the District of Columbia have said they want to impose the same requirements as California once the EPA gave the go-ahead. "This decision puts the law and science first," EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in a statement, suggesting that Stephen Johnson, her predecessor at EPA, had ignored historic and traditional legal interpretations on how the Clean Air Act should address the issue when he denied the waiver in March 2008. Granting California's request "is consistent with the Clean Air Act as it has been used for the last 40 years," Jackson said. "After being asleep at the wheel ... the federal government has finally stepped up," said California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, noting the state first requested the waiver in December 2005. The California regulation requires automakers to increase the fuel economy of cars and trucks sold in the state by 40 percent to an average of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. Improved auto fuel efficiency results in less carbon dioxide being emitted from vehicle tailpipes because less fuel is burned for every mile traveled. The EPA decision also is viewed as setting the stage for tougher national vehicle fuel economy requirements promised by President Barack Obama in May when he announced an agreement to push through federal standards at least as stringent as those being enacted in California. Jackson said the California waiver decision "reinforces the historic agreement on nationwide emission standards" announced by Obama. That agreement has the support of automakers, many of the states and environmentalists. Obama said he wanted nationwide regulations boosting the average fuel economy of new cars and small trucks to be 35.5 mpg by 2016, four years ahead of what Congress required as part of a new energy law in 2007. But automakers reacted cautiously to Tuesday's action. "We are hopeful the granting of this waiver will not undermine the enormous efforts put forth to create the national program," Dave McCurdy, president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said in a statement. He said the federal approach agreed to in May "moves us towards a policy that ensures that consumers in all 50 states have access to highly fuel efficient vehicles at an affordable price." But environmentalists said the decision to give California the go-ahead for putting into place its emission requirements was long overdue and essential for developing the national program. "This is putting the federal seal of approval on California's leadership in cleaning up global warming pollution from our cars, SUVs, pickups and minivans," said David Doniger, director of the Climate Center at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who had sharply criticized Johnson, the Bush administration EPA chief, for repeatedly postponing action and then rejecting the California waiver request, applauded the EPA decision Tuesday. She said it was "putting science and the law back into the driver's seat rather than politics and special interests." Governors and officials from many of the states ready to adopt the California standard also welcomed the development. Granting the waiver to California "affirms states' rights to combat global warming," said New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. In addition to New York, other states that have said they want to follow California's lead are: Arizona, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
What I don't get it how these new emissions work. You burn more fuel, but it burns it cleaner? I have a number of Ford 6.0 diesels and 2 Ford 6.4s the 6.4s get anywhere between 4-8 m.p.g and the 6.0s are getting 14-18. The new 6.4 has more emissions jazz on it. I can't figure it out.
until some one puts the brakes on the epa. we are " ". they answer to no one. everyone should have to answer to someone i dont care who are what you are.
I think the EPA marches to its own tune, without regard to the bigger picture. I often wonder where we'd stand with regard to our energy consumption if all the effort that has gone into reducing emissions had instead gone into increasing mileage. Certainly, I'm not in favor of pollution (who in their right mind is?), but I do believe that there's a cost involved in minimizing pollution that not every society chooses to pay. (Look at China, for instance.) What that amounts to is that clean air, clean water, etc. are a luxury that more prosperous societies can enjoy. While we've been in a position of being one of those prosperous societies, and have been able to enjoy some of that luxury, at this point in our history we're not quite as prosperous as we're accustomed to being. Maybe we need to reconsider our priorities, at least until we get things straightened out?
Just for clarification, on trucks is it mini trucks (like the ranger or S-10), 1/2 ton (F-150 / Silverado), or 3/4 ton (F-250 / 2500HD)? I would asume mini? but with the EPA who knows. With Cali budget chrisis, I have a hard time beleiving ANY new initiatives are being worked on...seems how they are now sending out I O U's. Can't put an IOU in a gas tank, no matter how high of MPG you get, can't eat it, & we (the people) cant issue them to save our houses. Seems to me Jail time & Fines should be imposed for not being able to make a budget. You know, just like you would get for writing bad checks....fine the law makers who can't get it done, & let em spend a night in jail, then see what gets done.
score another one for the tree huggers and leaf lickers.
I was just reading this kind of old but wanted to give my opinion ,The way I see this is, California and down the road rest of the country will have to race the fuel taxes to recoup the loss of revenues from the shortage of gas consume ,witch is an actual problem in the Socialist Republic of California, a lot of people are scared and bought the so called hybrid, that the state is losing tax revenues because that move,pretty much the same that happened in Texas I think it was in the Huston area ,I saw on the news a few months a go that in this area they had the cameras operated speed radar and were ticketing people by mail, well they got so many people that actually the people got the message and slow down ,so what happened next? well there was no one to send a ticket to ,so the government wasn't making enough to run the cameras and shut it down ,but they went on the news telling the tax payers about it so that commuters will be speeding again and the troopers will catch them and problem solved, We (this country Government) are in a rush to tax the living he!! out of people,that soon theres only going to be two social classes ,them the ultra rich ,and us the poor working souls to support theirs agenda with our tax dollars, while the rest of the world finally got the message that we've been telling them since WWII that our system is the only one that works, and are working to get them selfs a place in a better economy and more developed world, we are running back wards to take their place ,Look if they really want to contribute to get world back to the beginning of times they can go to Africa or Antarctica and doit from there ,but I don't want any part on that, I don't need any credits from saving a planet that I haven't try to destroy, All I need is the FREEDOM that I was born with and the money that they have taken from me, so they can give it to the UN and every body else that they feel is doing a good cause ,so they can put it in their pockets ,I'm sorry maybe I was just venting and didn't realized ,with such a long post.
Now they are going after ships!! The latest from the CARB folks is a new rule that any ship coming in has to use ULSD instead of bunker fuel oil to reduce emissions comng in and out of Long Beach and other ports. They are touting how much better the air quality will be for folks living on the coast. Now I personally have never minded a ship's exhaust before, even when I spent a week at Norfolk naval base. It just get's dumber all the time!
The self annoited leaders of the EPA and especially CARB in CA are going to spend other peoples money in search of cleaner and cleaner air until we are all in the poorhouse. Just look at the emissions savings this last year. It is really hard to make any smoke when you do not have any work. When is it enough? At what point does the constant addition of rules that cost business more and more money finally break the back of our once world class economy??