What part of the word "protection" doesn't Environmental Protection Agency Chairman Stephen Johnson understand? California and 15 other states and several environmental organizations are suing the EPA after the agency refused to grant a waiver allowing California to impose tailpipe emissions limits stricter than federal standards. While the EPA technically has the right to refuse such a waiver, it has never done so in the past and legal experts suggest that its stance in this case won't hold up in court.
The California Clean Car law would require cars sold in the state to have 30% less tailpipe emissions by 2020, a benchmark considerably tougher thant the federal Clean Air Act standard. The rationale for the denial of the waiver is odd, to say the least. The EPA 's Johnson - a Bush appointee - has said that it was to "avoid a confusing patchwork of state laws", which isn't the case and has nothing to do with anything anyway. Johnson also claims that Federal fuel efficiency standards would have the same effect, a statement disputed by California Air Resources Board chair Mary Nichols, who says that the California law would keep 38 million additional tons of CO2 out of the air between 2009 and 2016 alone. Reports citing EPA insiders have suggested that Johnson is actually responding to pressure from the White House and auto companies, who fear that stricter standards will drive up manufacturing costs.
Other states joining the suit are Massachusetts, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. If you live in one of them, you may feel a small twinge of pride that your legislators have done something useful.
via Wired
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