Yesterday a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would reverse the contentious decision made by the Environmental Protection Agency to deny California a waiver needed to impose tougher vehicle emissions standards.
The bill, introduced by a group of 60 representatives, would immediately grant California’s waiver request, allowing California and 12 other states to set vehicle tailpipe emissions standards.
After almost two years considering the waiver request, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson announced the denial in December, saying there was no justification for a separate set of standards in California after Congress had just passed a new Corporate Average Fuel Economy.
However, Johnson has been roundly criticized by Democratic legislators and environmental groups who say the California standard would be tougher than the CAFE and is needed to address the severe affects of global warming in the Pacific-coast state.
One co-sponsor of the House Bill, Representative Peter Welch of Vermont said, "The Environmental Protection Agency’s decision defied the science, defied the states, and defied common sense."
He added, "With consumers feeling the pinch of record fuel prices and the evidence of global warming overwhelming, the Bush administration must lead, follow, or get out of the way."
Similar legislation has also been introduced in the US Senate by Barbara Boxer (D-CA).
The 12 states wanting to follow California in regulating tailpipe emissions are Connecticut, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
The governors of Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Utah also have committed to implementing similar vehicle emissions standards.
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