by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

The EPA dragged its feet for years and when they finally ruled it was not surprising to see them turn down our waiver request to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. It is another in a long line of anti-environmental rulings from the Bush Administration. They are using the passage of the energy bill as an excuse to deny the waiver. AP:

The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday slapped down California's bid for first-in-the-nation greenhouse gas limits on cars, trucks and SUVs, denying a request for a waiver that would have allowed those restrictions to take effect.

"The Bush administration is moving forward with a clear national solution _ not a confusing patchwork of state rules," EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson told reporters on a conference call. "I believe this is a better approach than if individual states were to act alone."

I will wait for the laughter to stop about the Bush Administration moving forward with a solution on greenhouse gas emissions before bringing you another excerpt.

The long-awaited decision amounted to a serious setback for California and 16 other states seeking the new car regulations to achieve their anti-global warming goals.

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

California Attorney General Jerry Brown wrote a whole stack of letters, one to each of the 18 presidential contenders on Friday. He requested they weigh in publicly in favor of approving California's request for an EPA waiver to allow California to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from vehicle tailpipes. AP:

He asked them to submit written testimony to the federal EPA, which is weighing whether to grant California a waiver needed to put in place a state law that would cut greenhouse gas emissions, mostly carbon dioxide, by 25 percent from cars and 18 percent from sport utility vehicles beginning in 2009.

At least 11 other states are ready to follow California's lead if the state gets the needed federal waiver.

"As one who may be the next president of the United States, I believe that your written statement, which we will submit to EPA as part of the legal record, will help bolster our case," Brown wrote in the letter sent late Thursday. "I urge you to give us the strongest possible statement for submission to EPA."

Brown asked the candidates to weigh in by June 15, the public comment deadline.

read more »

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Fabian Nunez
Speaker of the California Assembly

Speaker Fabian Nunez testified yesterday before the Environmental Protection Agency in Sacramento to encourage them to grant California's request for a waiver to implement the state's fuel efficiency standards.

The Speaker's remarks are below in full and you can watch them being delivered.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming to Sacramento to consider this waiver.

Climate change brought on by man-made emissions of greenhouse gases has become the environmental crisis of our time.

Today you have the opportunity help California take a vital step in slowing or stopping this crisis by granting California a waiver to allow for tailpipe emission standards of global warming causing greenhouse gases.

A little background: