Posted on 09/12/2007 3:46:17 PM PDT by SmithL
Montpelier, Vt. (AP) -- Vermont and several other states scored a victory on Wednesday in their battle to get automakers to comply with rules aimed at reducing global warming.
A federal judge ruled that states can regulate greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, rejecting automakers' claims that federal law pre-empts state rules and that technology can't be developed to meet them.
"There is no question that the GHG (greenhouse gas) regulations present great challenges to automakers," Judge William Sessions III, sitting in the U.S. District Court in Burlington, wrote at the conclusion of his 240-page decision.
He added, "History suggests that the ingenuity of the industry, once put in gear, responds admirably to most technological challenges. In light of the public statements of industry representatives, (the) history of compliance with previous technological challenges, and the state of the record, the court remains unconvinced automakers cannot meet the challenges of Vermont and California's GHG regulations."
During a 16-day trial that concluded in May, auto industry executives testified that the regulations — adopted by California and 11 other states and pending in three others — would not stop global warming but would impose devastating new costs on the industry.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Stop sell cars in that state, just like WonderBread stopped selling in CA. Tell ‘em to go walk.
If GM or FORD or Chrysler etc cannot meet the emission standards what then? I think you’re right, theywon’t be able to sell anynew cars in that state, and residents of that state I would think would be prohibited from buying cars from other states and returning with them....OR WOULD THEY?
This verdict seems very very strange indeed.
nick
If the auto industry had any fortitude they’d tell those looney dumbass elitist in VT to just go convert all their car’s gas engines to burn on Vegtable Oil because they’ll never sell another gas engine car to any pondscum greenie socialist prick in that idiotic state.
After Kalifornia realized that the goal would never be met, they recinded the ZEV mandate. So who killed the Electric Car? The CARB did.
When Kalifornia, Vermont, and the 10 other states realize that they cannot legislate basic chemestry, they will recind the silly rules.
The perfrect and complete combustion of HxCx (hydrocarbons) with O2 (oxygen) results in two things: H2O (Water) and CO2 (Eeeeeevil Greenhouse Gas.) No legislature's silly law will change that chemical equation.
The automakers can meet these goals. All they have to do is quit selling SUV’s, pickups and performance vehicles.
THAT seems like a direct violation of US commerce laws!
Kalifornia could just do an end-run around certain vehicles by placing and enforcing huge new taxes on them when they go to get a license. It would NOT be up to neighboring states to tell a potential customer, "no, you can't buy that Denali, you have a Californian drivers license."
To begin with, there is an ideological belief that carbon dioxide is some kind of harmful “greenhouse gas”. Well, there is some CO2 found in greenhouse, which if there were not, the plants would end up shriveling and dying. Plants LIVE on CO2. That is part of their life cycle. Plants absorb the yellow-blue part of the sun’s light spectrum (which we perceive as “green”), using the energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into some form of carbohydrate and oxygen. As long as the carbohydrate remains a carbohydrate, the CO2 is “sequestered”.
It is technologically impossible to build an automobile that emits no CO2. Can’t be done. Not now, not ever. Somewhere, in the chain of manufacturing that must happen so the vehicle can exist, some form of carbon must unite with oxygen to form CO2. At the steel mills, at the powerplant where the electricity that is used to machine the car parts is generated, under the lights in the assembly facility, the transportation vehicle that moves the completed vehicle to the dealer, and finally the motive power that gets the vehicle down the road.
And face it, a thousand years from now, hydrocarbons are still going to be used as fuel to provide the energy needed to support our civilization. Hydrocarbon fuel is just a very handy storehouse of energy.
I’m sure they’ll have better luck doing that than I had spelling “chemistry”
I’m not a spelling NAZI
I'm having a hard time reading between the lines. Do you have any negative feelings for your neighbors in Vt.?
Couldn't agree more. Gimme one of those 9 volts!!!
True, but one could reduce CO2 emissions by preventing combustion from running to completion, producing carbon monoxide and/or soot instead of CO2. Not that those would really be an improvement, but they wouldn't be CO2.
That’s also true, but those emissions are also regulated.
You’re describing the end run that people tried to do to avoid sales tax on autos. This is different. If the item, a new car, does not mean emission standards it would not be allowed on the highway.
On the other hand, if you are not allowing citizens of the state to buy these cars, how can you let non state residents come in with these cars.
This shows how rediculous this law would be. What are they going to do, restrict any new cars from coming in?
Crazy.
They tried that with their "smog impact fee" imposed on noncompliant cars brought in from out of state. They were sued, and they lost, and they sent my wife and I a refund check including interest.
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