The California Air Resources Board's CO2 regulations for cars.

[Oerdin]

Today I was rereading an old PBS report from last march about California's new anti-green house gas laws and I was hoping to start a conversation about them. Read the PBS article here:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/environment/jan-june05/california_3-28.html

As most of you already know the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the government body which controls automotive and other air pollution standards with in the state, plans to begin enforce emission standards upon passenger vehicles which will begin limiting the amount of CO2 gas produced per mile driven in 2009. These has be explained as an attempt to reduce green house gas output in the state. This is important because California is the only government which is legally allowed to make automotive pollution standards besides the central government though about 20 states have the legal right to either choose California's standard or the Federal government's standard. Those 20 states plus California represent about 60% of the total US automotive market so they can effectively force changes upon the entire automotive industry even if the Federal government declines to enact stricter stands.

This has caused a coalition of automakers, oil companies, and even the Federal government to bring legal action against the state in order to block CARB's new CO2 pollution control measures. The legal attack is based up the dubious claim that green house gases are not a air pollutant. The automakers, oil companies, and the Fed claim the 1965 Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act only give California the right to set its own pollution standards and for certain other states to adopt those standards if they choose, however, CARB has pointed out that in several cases the 1965 Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act uses the term "automobile emissions" instead of "pollution" and claims that since CO2 and other green house gases are emissions from a motor vehicle that it has a legal right to regulate these items. Why does this matter to the rest of us?

Because this could effectively let the state of California bypass the Republican controlled Federal government and force tough new pollution and fuel economy standards upon the automotive industry. According to PBS Fifty-eight percent of our greenhouse gas emissions in the US come from automobiles so this would bias pass the road blocks which Bush has put up against controlling green house gases and could dramatically lower green house gas output of for the entire US. The automakers & oil companies are claiming that the only effective way to reduce green house gas output per mile is to increase fuel economy while legally only the Fed can mandate fuel economy standards. California's counter claim is that they don't care how auto companies reach the pollution goals but those goals must be meet or those cars will be illegal to sell in California and any of the 20 states which adopt California's CO2 output laws. Clearly this means big money to alot of people.

So whose heard about this and what do people think? Has anyone hard additional news about the counter suit or is it still awaiting a court date? This could dramatically shift our dependence upon foreign energy if it is allowed to take effect and it could dramatically increase the mpg a car, truck, or SUV gets in America. What are your thought.

[Canuckistanian]

1. I love this straw man argument

"green house gases are not a air pollutant"
I hear this argument all the time. Nobody EVER suggested CO2 was a pollutant.

[Oerdin]

2. The wording switched back and forth

between "pollutant" and "emission". In any event most people believe the state will win its law suite but the people who don't want to see higher mileage cars or fewer green house gases have gotten the Bush White House to fund their legal fight.