Obama clearing way for California emissions waiver

[Adsos Letter]

Source: LA Times

The president will ask the EPA today to allow states to set their own, stricter rules for auto emissions, sources say.
By Ken Bensinger and Jim Tankersley

Reporting from Washington and Los Angeles -- President Obama will direct the EPA today to reconsider a Bush-era decision that stopped California and more than a dozen other states from setting their own stricter limits on auto emissions, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Should the agency allow a waiver from federal rules, states could require automakers to increase the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks far above current limits. It also would fulfill a long-held goal of environmentalists, as well as one of Obama's campaign promises.

A waiver would be another dramatic rebuke of Bush administration policies, as well as a swift statement that the new president intends to put his own stamp on environmental issues.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-emissions26-2009jan26,0,3460961.story

[Skittles]

1. "another dramatic rebuke of Bush administration policies"

stick it to 'em

[gblady]

2. this gal's lovin'

the dramatic rebukes of Bush administration policies!

[ThomWV]

3. I honestly think this is a very bad idea

We have a national industry in our Auto makers and they simply can not be bound to 50 different standards nor should they be bound by the strictest standard that could be passed by any subset of the nation. This second part of the argument is important to me, after all, I would not have the nation bound to an abortion standard set by Utah, nor a firearms standard set by Montana or New York. I do not see that the sorts of standard under the purview of the EPA should be relegated to the states.

[ThomWV]

4. Well, he did it - or nearly so

What he actually did was order a review to see why California's request for waiver was denied. As I said above, I think its probably best to have one national standard, not one that can be trumped by any individual state.