Posted on 11/08/2007 6:56:43 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
California on Thursday said it was suing the United States government to secure approval for the state's tough new proposals aimed at slashing vehicle greenhouse gas emissions.
At a news conference in the state capital Sacramento, Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Edmund Brown said the lawsuit had been filed over the failure of the US Environmental Protection Agency to greenlight California's standards.
California passed legislation in 2002 requiring automakers to reduce vehicle emissions 30 percent by 2016. As many as 16 other US states have reportedly indicated they will adopt California's emissions levels.
However, for the law to take effect, California requires approval with a waiver from the EPA, which has so far not been forthcoming, despite a request having been filed in December 2005.
"Despite the mounting dangers of global warming, the EPA has delayed and ignored California's right to impose stricter environmental standards," Brown told reporters on Thursday.
"We have waited two years and the Supreme Court has ruled in our favor. What is the EPA waiting for?"
Schwarzenegger said there was "no legal basis" for Washington to block California's request, accusing the federal government of "ignoring the will of tens of millions of people."
Analysts say the EPA and the administration of President George W. Bush have dragged their feet over California's demands because of fears of the effect it may have on the struggling US auto industry.
Marc Bernstein, a political scientist at the University of Southern California, said if the California standards came into law, US automakers would be forced to make lower emission cars.
"They're really fighting that," Bernstein told AFP. "The Bush administration is afraid that the US auto industry is going to go under. The companies always claim that jobs are going to be lost."
An EPA spokeswoman said Thursday the agency would make a ruling on the California waiver request by the end of 2007.
"The EPA has repeatedly stated it will make a ruling on this issue before the end of the year," she said, without elaborating.
Brown told a hearing in Washington this year that California's emissions targets were achievable within the stated time-frame.
"There is no doubt that automobile manufacturers can meet that goal, and since the federal government does not want to seek such a reduction California intends to move forward," he said.
Schwarzenegger has made the environment a key issue of his tenure, signing a historic bill in September 2006 that saw the state become the first in the US to impose limits on global warming gases.
Under the plan, California will aim to slash the state's carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent by the year 2020, a figure that Schwarzenegger has said is equivalent to removing 6.5 million vehicles from the road.
Well Hey, We had nothing better to do.
“no legal basis” for Washington to block California’s request,”
not that i really care about the global warming hoax or mexifornia but there is something very wrong when a state has to ask the federal government in regards to it’s own state regulations.
LOL!
Is there any way to sell California back to Mexico?
You’d think they would have something more important to worry about, like their budget shortfall.
Hey, as far as I am concerned, California can ban the use of automobiles entirely. It would make the gas prices drop for the rest of us.
Lets also turn off their lights. Stop pumping electicity in from neighboring states. California, by bringing electricity in from other states, is still generating carbon emissions.. they are just generating those emissions in someone else’s backyard.
If they want to pass such laws.. so what? They can go back to living in the stone age for all I care.
Let's take that lawsuit on if they want one. And do a full court press. Finally.
Seems simple to me.
Simple enough.
Californians deserve the $2 increase over national gas prices that they pay. They keep electing these boneheads.
My gas is a $3 theirs is at $4-5. Good for them.
Elect a few more of these bozos.
California has no right to force it’s regulations on the other 49 states. A right thinking jury would tell them if they want the alterations done to the vehicles to meet their standards that the taxpayers of California foot the bill.
Since plants use CO2 like we use oxygen, efforts to reduce CO2 are akin to suffocating plants- not becoming of tree-huggers and 'greenies'.
S.C. gas is at 2.59
Too high in my opinion.
But, nowhere near 5.00
Just cut to the chase and ban 'global warming' ! The Gollyfonia legislature and governator think they are gods anyway.
Nam Vet
Perfect!
Now the Fed’s can prove in a court of law that there’s no evidence of man made global warming.
The mere existance of “greenhouse gases” is not a violation of any law.
You know, the EPA could make that argument, but they'd look a little silly since their own website argues that man-made climate change is a reality.
A political scientist (whatever that is) propounds to explain economics? Sadly, he prefers 'forced' economics- which has no place in a free market economy. Leftist fascism on parade again.
Would this genius offer an explanation as to the explosion of Toyota Priuses on California's highways? (Hint- it's not forced economics)
PolySci-boy would like everyone to think it's due to enviornmental altruism--greenieism. It isn't. It's greed. It's 57 miles per gallon.
The answer to problems is never more government, but a freer market. "Leave them alone and they will come home, wagging their tails behind them".
I don’t even live ther and it causes me abdominal lessions...LOL
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