U.S. EPA Won't Sign Tailpipe Emissions Waiver

In news that shouldn't come as a shock to anyone, the U.S. EPA and the Bush Administration has refused to sign a waiver so that 17 states can enforce stingent tail pipe emission standards, such as California's 2004 law, AB 1493, which would force automakers to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent in new cars and light trucks by 2016. The announcement came after two years of stalling on the waiver by the U.S. EPA and a lawsuit by the state of California. A federal court recently ruled in favor of the state in a lawsuit brought by automakers challenging the authority of the state to enforce stricter emissions rules than the federal government. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger promised to appeal the EPA's decision.

A bit surprising, however, was the audacity of the Bush Administration's timing and spin of the announcement, which comes on the heels of the signing of the Federal Energy Bill. U.S. EPA Chairman Stephen L. Johnson claimed that the new Energy Bill makes stringent CO2 tailpipe emission requirements unnecessary. The 2007 Energy Bill as global warming panacea? This is the same bill many politicians and environmentalists have called "pathetic" for its lack of new taxes on the oil industry and nationwide Renewable Portfolio Standards. President Bush threatened to veto the bill if such provisions had been included in the bill.