EPA suggests coal for California stockings
Stephen Johnson, the Bush ally who is his head of the EPA, like his Commander in Chief, is apparently no fan of science or California. The boys like playing Santa though, and the EPA holiday gift to the nation’s most populous state is a denial of a waiver allowing California (and some 16 other states that have asked ) to implement their own greenhouse gas limits. The precedence for California to set it’s own environmental policies goes back 30 years, and the state has been granted waivers over 40 times previously, and never been denied. Until now.
Automakers must have jumped with joy at the denial, having sued to prevent state’s from taking action some 4 times. Earlier this year, after years of dodging responsibility, the EPA was told by a Supreme Court ruling, that despite the agency’s insistence otherwise, they actually do have a mandate to regulate greenhouse gasses.
Maybe they misplaced that memo, or perhaps they are too busy reclassifying wetlands as potential parking lots.
When U.S. District Judge Anthony Ishii of Fresno ruled in early December that California has the right to regulate tail pipe emissions of greenhouse gases, it further set in play a potential legal battle of California vs the EPA. Even Republican guv Schwarzenegger sees light through the cigar smoke tunnel and has backed the idea of suing the US government to get some more sensible regulations in place.
Word filters out that the EPA’s own staffers advised Johnson against his auto industry friendly position, yet Johnson, his pal Big Dick Cheney and Detroit bigwigs really call the shots. Now, Bay Area politician Barbara Boxer & So Cal’s Henry Waxman are whining for hearings and have demanded Johnson not destroy any of his documents regarding the decision in his year end house cleaning.
links, fumes and more hot gassy air after the jump…
Because California’s environmental laws predate those of the federal government, the Federal Clean Air Act permits the state to log it’s own regulations, as long as they win clearance from the EPA.
The L.A Times, (a generally far better paper than the illiterate fishwrappers littering doorstops in the Bay Area), details in their Dec 21 issue some of the machinations and malfeasance behind the schemes at the federal levels.
A fine editorial piece on the subject is up at Global Warming Is Real called “EPA and Bush Administration to California: Go Screw Yourself”
Merry news indeed. Thanks for explaining how California has been able to be cutting edge (until now) with regards to environmental laws.
Keep up the good work irregardless.
Earlier in December, Japan’s Ministry of the Environment has announced the world’s strictest rules for car exhaust emissions:
1. In a bid to dramatically reduce particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), newly implemented emission regulations for diesel motor vehicles will come close to matching those for gasoline motor vehicles.
2. With concerns to PM emissions for gasoline motor vehicles, the same level of PM regulations will be implemented as for diesel motor vehicles.
The new rules call for lowering the level of particulate matter emitted every 1 kilometer of travel to 5 to 7 milligrams, depending on the type of vehicle. The figures are nearly 60 percent less than current standards, and near the minimum level that can technically be measured. The rules also require diesel vehicles to cut nitrogen oxide emissions by 40 to 60 percent. These cuts are greater than those in Europe, which is implementing similar measures. The Environment Ministry hopes the new regulations will help reduce air pollution across the country.
When I heard this on Morning Edition the other day I yelled so loud at the radio that I almost made my five-year-old daughter cry. I had to reassure her that everything was going to be OK even as I pictured our house under several feet of melting glaciers. Feh.