They tried, but Chief Judge of the US District court in Vermont, William K Sessions III ruled against the auto industry’s attempt to block states, including Vermont, from adopting more rigorous greenhouse gas emission standards for new light-duty vehicles.
In his ruling, Judge Sessions said the industry failed to prove that the state standards were unattainable, that they usurp the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) prerogative to set fuel economy standards, and were preempted by federal authority.
The ruling came on the heels of an effort by the federal government to block California, and other states, from requiring that new, more stringent emission standards go into effect in 2009 models. The EPA blocked the California law in a contentious move that followed signing of the new energy bill in December of 2007.
I wrote about the action and urged all states involved that had followed California’s lead to file suit against the EPA to force their hand. You can read it here
California was the first to file suit, as outlined here.
California is awaiting resolution of their lawsuit in US District Federal Court in California.
This one is worth watching.
To read the case, it’s in PDF and you can access it at the Vermont Federal Court site.
(Case 2:05-CV-302 Green Mountain Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge et al v. Crombie et al)
Good! I cant breath on many days in my own home which is on a main road. China standards for auto emissions are higher then in the US and what California wants. What hapened to states rights? Maybe succession should be considerred. As Bush brilliantly said, “all knowledge does not exist with in Washington DC”
*coughs due to air*
THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY IN THIS DISPUTE HAS NOT ONLY MADE A MOCKERY OF IT’S NAME, IT HAS PROVEN THAT THE GOVERNMENT CAN, INDEED , BE THE ENEMY. BUSH HAS PROVEN IT OVER & OVER.