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Ear to the Ground

California Sues the EPA

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Posted on Nov 8, 2007
california traffic
news.bbc.co.uk

California is sick of the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s attempts to block two-year-old legislation that would cut auto emissions in the state well beyond federal guidelines, and the state attorney general has filed a lawsuit against the agency, which under the Bush administration has failed utterly in its principal mandate.

Gov. Schwarzenegger is optimistic: “There’s no legal basis for Washington to stand in our way.” The Golden State is not alone in this fight. As many as 16 other states could follow California’s lead if it succeeds.

BBC:

California is suing the US federal government over its failure to back the state’s tough new anti-pollution laws regulating greenhouse gas emissions.

Two years ago, California passed legislation requiring car-makers to cut vehicle emissions by 30% by 2016.

But for the measure to take effect, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must give its approval.

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By Targhee, November 10, 2007 at 3:12 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

As one who actually worked for a state agency in New England that adopted the CA regs, let me try to provide some facts:
-the 16 states have so far adopted the CA regs represent more than 1/3 of the US auto market
-states that haven’t adopted the regs actually get CA cars since the autos tend to make “one flavor”. For example, my NC friends tell me they have bought CA cars there, even though no nearby state has adopted the CA requirements
-in general, industry inflates cost figures by an order of magnitude, this has been true since lead was taken out of gasoline. Compliance with acid rain requirements cost less than 10% of what industry was claiming at the time
-costs to meet CA auto standards are even lower than CA’s own estimates
-re the Supreme Court, I would just refresh some memories that, the Scalia court voted 5-4 in favor of the states on the case involving CO2 as a pollutant, and 9-0 in favor of the states on our enforcement of the Clean Air Act against power plants. So, frankly, I’m really not worried about the Supreme Court if it gets that far. The US autos have a broken business model, they and the unions are both at fault, and they need to wake up soon.

thanks

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By The Village Idiot, November 9, 2007 at 1:44 pm #

The CA law addresses EMISSIONS, not merely CO2. I see the global warming debate getting confused with issues of pollution more and more, and whatever one’s views on climate change, pollution is still a major problem that must be dealt with, especially with a population that’s growing so fast and everybody wanting cars.
People purchase things that best suit their own self-interest, and what is often perceived to serve it best is the cheapest option. Cars built with newer emission controls will be more expensive, and if cars not so equipped are for sale right next to the more expensive ones, guess what ‘the market’ will dictate? Yep, most people will buy the cheap stinkers, and California will once again be a place where it hurts to breathe (I remember CA’s thick brown air of the 70’s and the extreme ozone levels that hurt my lungs if I inhaled too deeply). Individuals’ right to operate pollution-emitting machinery bumps up against other people’s right to unpolluted air, and it’s clear which right better serves the common good. Opposition to cleaner technology is puzzling to me; it seems that capitalism’s fatal flaw is its environmental myopia; at some point we won’t be able to pass the problem on to the next generation, and we already may be at that point.

“Socialism collapsed because it did not allow the market to tell the economic truth. Capitalism may collapse because it does not allow the market to tell the ecological truth."- Oystein Dahle

Separately, this is a State’s Rights issue, and a lot of those have been popping up in Bush’s second term which implies a desire on the part of the federal government to usurp even more power than it already has. We’ve already had a civil war about that, and we don’t need another one.

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By Dr Coles, November 9, 2007 at 10:39 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

UK court says Gore is a fraud. August 2007 Update: Man-made Catastrophic Global Warming Not True. Unfortunately, Hansen is a political hack of George Soros. Further, flawed NASA Global Warming data paid for by George Soros. In order to be an intelligent reader you must have a basic knowledge.  Please do your own homework; a starting point http://www.InteliOrg.com/

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By driving bear, November 8, 2007 at 7:35 pm #

If the citizens of Ca want cars that emit less CO2 then they will buy them. This case is a perfect example of the “little Hitler” in Ca trying to force his views on the citizens of Ca and then rest of American . Good job Bush and the epa in standing up to him.

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By DennisD, November 8, 2007 at 6:15 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

The EPA is owned by the corporations like every other government institution. Good luck California, I hope you win, but remember ultimately the case will come before a bought and paid for Supreme Court.

I can give your their decision right now if you’d like.

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