January 4, 2008
SACRAMENTO — California sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday for denying its first-in-the-nation greenhouse gas limits on cars, trucks and SUVs, challenging the Bush administration's conclusion that states have no business setting emission standards, according to USA Today.
Other states are expected to join the lawsuit, which was anticipated after the EPA on Dec. 19 denied California's request for a waiver, required under the federal Clean Air Act. The lawsuit was filed in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. At least 16 other states had been expected to follow California's lead and adopt the state's tougher emission limits.
EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson denied California the waiver, saying national energy legislation would be more effective than a patchwork of state regulations.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth 
at 12:22 PM | Permalink
December 20, 2007
The Bush administration Wednesday derailed an attempt by California and 12 other states to enact the nation's first greenhouse gas-limits on new vehicles, according to USA Today.
The efforts by states to regulate carbon-dioxide emissions that are considered a prime cause of climate change are not necessary in light of the energy bill just signed into law by President Bush, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency said.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 11:18 AM | Permalink
President Bush signed into law Wednesday legislation that will bring more fuel-efficient vehicles into auto showrooms and require wider use of ethanol, calling it "a major step" toward energy independence and easing global warming, according to USA Today.
The wide-ranging energy bill, passed by the House on Tuesday and the Senate last week, also addresses energy standards for light bulbs and appliances.
"We make a major step ... toward reducing our dependence on oil, fighting global climate change, expanding the production of renewable fuels and giving future generations ... a nation that is stronger cleaner and more secure," Bush said at a ceremony at the Energy Department.
"If you drive a car or if you use a toaster or heat your home, this bill is going to save you money," says Brendan Bell, Washington representative of the Union of Concerned Scientists. The environmental lobbying group estimates the vehicle fuel economy changes will save consumers $22 billion a year starting in 2020. In the home, the energy efficiency provisions could save $400 billion in electricity and gas bills by 2030, the group says.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 11:15 AM | Permalink
December 19, 2007
President Bush's signature on the new energy legislation raising the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) mileage standard won't end the industry's fuel-economy torment, according to thecarconnection.com
Tom Stephens,, the executive in charge of General Motors' powertrain group, said this week the real challenge for the auto industry is the new legislation calling for limits on greenhouse gas, which is pending in California and 20 other states.
The California greenhouse gas proposal amounts to a 43-mile per gallon fuel economy standard, one senior GM executive told TheCarConnection.com.
So far, the industry's efforts to block the California proposals in court have been frustrated. Only last week, the industry lost a key fight in a Fresno courtroom when a federal district judge ruled that California had the right to apply its own fuel-economy rules under federal law.
The continuing court battles and new rulings by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, giving states more latitude to limit emissions of carbon dioxide, will have a huge impact on the industry, Stephens said.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:30 AM | Permalink
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Carmakers would be required to cut carbon dioxide emissions in new cars sold in Europe starting in 2012, a move that could add almost $1,900 to the price of automobiles, under rules proposed Wednesday by the European Commission, according to the Associated Press.
The plan, which needs the backing of European Union governments, would put a heavier burden on producers of larger and heavier cars to meet new binding emission limits and would fine all carmakers that sell vehicles in the 27-nation bloc if they exceed the target, EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said.
"Passenger cars account for about 12 percent of overall EU carbon dioxide emissions and emissions from transport are continually increasing," Dimas said. "The aim of the legislation is to reduce CO2 emissions from cars in order to help fight climate change."
Automakers, many of which tried to water down the plan, would be forced to reduce average emissions of CO2 from new passenger cars sold in the EU from around 160 grams per kilometer to an average 130 grams per kilometer in 2012.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:42 AM | Permalink
December 18, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Congress by a wide margin approved the first increase in automobile fuel economy in 32 years Tuesday, and President Bush has signaled he will accept the mandates on the auto industry, according to the Associated Press.
The energy bill, boosting mileage by 40 percent to 35 miles per gallon, passed the House 314-100 and now goes to the White House, following the Senate's approved last week.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 1:50 PM | Permalink
December 14, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Three decades of fighting over fuel economy ended Thursday, as the U.S. Senate approved a 40% increase in mileage standards for cars and trucks, giving a green light to rules that will force Detroit automakers to spend billions of dollars upgrading their models, according to the Detroit Free Press.
By agreeing to a stripped-down energy bill in an 86-8 vote, the Senate cleared a path for the fuel economy hike to pass the House next week. The White House said President George W. Bush would sign the bill, after Democrats failed by one vote to save a $21.8-billion tax plan from a Republican filibuster.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:04 AM | Permalink
December 5, 2007
The European Union is serious about reining in the release of gases that contribute to global warming. As of Jan. 1, 2011, air-conditioning systems for all new European-made vehicles must begin the switch to a refrigerant other than the current formulation, known as R134a, according to the New York Times.
If there is a familiar ring to this development, it’s because the predecessor of R134a was itself banned for environmental reasons. While the effects on the earth’s atmosphere are different this time, the scramble by automakers to comply seems every bit as urgent.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 11:08 AM | Permalink
December 3, 2007
This year's battle over tougher fuel economy standards has featured environmentalists demanding unbreakable guarantees for more-efficient cars and trucks, while automakers defended flexibility to meet an uncertain future.
Friday's compromise represented a split decision, according to the Detroit Free Press's Justin Hyde.
The deal negotiated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Dingell, a Dearborn Democrat, will force U.S. automakers to make a 40% improvement in their vehicles' mileage to 35 miles per gallon by 2020.
The proposal sets those targets, which the industry loudly opposed for much of this year, as the floor for federal regulators: They cannot set lower standards, but could impose a higher goal if they see fit.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:47 AM | Permalink
November 29, 2007
Congressional staffers have hammered out the outlines of an agreement for increasing U.S. fuel economy standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, and a deal could be announced as soon as today if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers approve, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The proposal must be vetted by House and Senate leaders, including Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., and any snags with it or other portions of a broader energy bill could push back a Democratic plan to have a vote next Wednesday or Thursday. But people familiar with the talks said the deal as drafted would satisfy backers of tougher standards while giving automakers some flexibility in how they meet the targets.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 11:02 AM | Permalink
November 16, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 15 — A federal appeals court here rejected the Bush administration’s year-old fuel-economy standards for light trucks and sport utility vehicles on Thursday, saying that they were not tough enough because regulators had failed to thoroughly assess the economic impact of tailpipe emissions that contribute to climate change, according to the New York Times.
A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in San Francisco, voided the new regulations for 2008-2011 model year vehicles and told the Transportation Department to produce new rules taking into account the value of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The court, siding with 4 environmental groups and 13 states and cities, also asked the government to explain why it still treated light trucks — which include pickups, sport utility vehicles and minivans — more mildly than passenger cars.
Under the rejected rule, the average fuel economy of light trucks was to rise to 23.5 miles a gallon in 2010, up from the current standard of 22.5 m.p.g., but still well below the current standard for passenger cars of 27.5 m.p.g.
The ruling, which is likely to be appealed to the United States Supreme Court, represents a major setback for both the auto industry and the White House at a time of growing public concern over the rising price of gasoline and the issue of climate change.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 1:24 PM | Permalink
September 14, 2007
The growing girth of Americans is colliding with government-mandated warning labels on all 2006 or newer cars that list the maximum weight — passengers and cargo — that's safe to carry, according to USA Today.
Many two-seat sports cars, including Mazda MX-5 Miata and Chevrolet (GM) Corvette, aren't certified to carry two 200-pound adults, according to a government formula aimed at tire safety.
Many five-passenger vehicles are rated about 850 pounds, maxxing out if their five occupants weigh more than 170 pounds each. Six 200-pounders would overload the seven-passenger Dodge Grand Caravan minivan.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 11:12 AM | Permalink
