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New York yellow cab owners sue over green plan
Reuters on Yahoo ^ | 9/9/08 | Edith Honan

Posted on 09/09/2008 8:29:49 PM PDT by NormsRevenge

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A group of New York taxi owners is suing the city over a plan to turn the entire fleet of cabs "green" by 2012, saying the plan compromises safety and is unconstitutional.

Under the plan, promoted as an environmental model for other large cities, every new taxi must get at least 30 miles per gallon, a target now met by hybrid and clean diesel cars.

The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, an association of taxi owners accounting for about a quarter of the city's 13,000 yellow cabs, filed a complaint in Manhattan federal court late on Monday seeking an injunction to keep the regulation from taking effect.

There are already about 1,400 hybrid taxis in the city, the Taxi and Limousine Commission said.

Hybrid vehicles are powered by a combination of gasoline and electricity. They emit less exhaust and have better gas mileage than other vehicles.

According to the lawsuit, only the federal government, not city officials, has the power to set fuel emission and efficiency standards.

Moreover, hybrid cars "have never been meaningfully tested and have no proven record of safety or reliability as commercial vehicles," the lawsuit said, noting that taxi cabs endured much heavier use than normal private vehicles, often being driven for 24 hours a day.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections; US: California; US: New York
KEYWORDS: energy; environmnet; govwatch; newyork; owners; sue; taxis; transportation; yellowcab

1 posted on 09/09/2008 8:29:49 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge
When I used to drive a yellow back in the 80's I remember some of the small fleets starting running Diesel cars.

After a 12 hour shift my nervous system would be in shock from all of the fumes.

2 posted on 09/09/2008 8:35:16 PM PDT by Rome2000 (Peace is not an option)
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To: NormsRevenge

Hard to be sympathetic with the NYC taxi commission people. I recall a story about them shutting down some budding competition recently. And their limitation on the total number of hack licenses keep the fares up, too, I guess.


3 posted on 09/09/2008 8:36:28 PM PDT by FoxInSocks (B. Hussein Obama: The Paucity of Hope)
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To: NormsRevenge

“According to the lawsuit, only the federal government, not city officials, has the power to set fuel emission and efficiency standards. “

The feds control fuel emission and efficiency standards for manufacturing of vehicles, but can the city set a standard among available vehicles?


4 posted on 09/09/2008 8:37:14 PM PDT by ThomasThomas (Real change actually changes something.)
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To: ThomasThomas

The feds control fuel emission and efficiency standards for manufacturing of vehicles, but can the city set a standard among available vehicles?

**********************

If the city *sanctions* the cabbies, then you betcha!


5 posted on 09/09/2008 8:39:29 PM PDT by ROTB (Our Constitution [is] for a [Christian] people. It is wholly inadequate [for] any other. -John Adams)
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To: NormsRevenge

1) What about the poor (the cabbies)?
2) What about the CHILDREN of the cabbies?

“You care about children ... don’t you?”


6 posted on 09/09/2008 8:40:27 PM PDT by ROTB (Our Constitution [is] for a [Christian] people. It is wholly inadequate [for] any other. -John Adams)
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To: ThomasThomas
“According to the lawsuit, only the federal government, not city officials, has the power to set fuel emission and efficiency standards. “

Actually, the federal government doesn't have that power as well.

It just assumed that power and we idiots didn't object loudly enough.

7 posted on 09/09/2008 8:42:29 PM PDT by elkfersupper
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To: NormsRevenge

Maybe they can get Teddy Kheel to mediate.

Ooops. I forgot, he’s busy with Rangel and the resort in the DR.


8 posted on 09/09/2008 8:42:59 PM PDT by Roccus (Someday it will all make sense............maybe.)
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To: NormsRevenge

Would this situation also lead to the eventual cancellation of Discovery Channel’s “Cash Cab” game show?


9 posted on 09/09/2008 8:43:32 PM PDT by johnthebaptistmoore (Vote for conservatives AT ALL POLITICAL LEVELS! Encourage all others to do the same on November 4!)
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To: johnthebaptistmoore

not sure, maybe they can get a waiver.. or move to a different city.


10 posted on 09/09/2008 8:45:58 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Mencken would puke at the output of most of today’s media “muckrakers”.)
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To: NormsRevenge

Just a hand salute to another fond memory. A snippet from Checker Cab history.

After the recession that started in 1979 and lagging sales, coupled with a change in the taxi industry, and ever imposing new government regulations, Checker closed the doors on the sixty-year-old assembly line. The Checker Cab was considered the Rolls Royce of the taxis in it’s hey day. It was a sad day on July 12, 1982 when that last iron horse rolled off the assembly line in Kalamazoo, bearing the green and ivory colors of Checker Taxi of Chicago. Sixty years prior to this, the first cab bearing the same color scheme, rolled off the same assembly line and onto the streets of the big cities, proudly carrying it’s passengers to their destination. It will not be long though before the cumbersome cab with all that room inside will be nothing but a fond memory to many people as they squeeze into the little compact with their suitcase on their lap reminiscing about the good ole’ days.

The company in still in existence, expanding it’s outside contract work, mainly in the sheet metal stamping and sub-assembly work for the automobile industry.


11 posted on 09/09/2008 9:15:43 PM PDT by BerryDingle (I know how to deal with communists, I still wear their scars on my back from Hollywood-Ronald Reagan)
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