Today, U.S. Rep. John Hall (D-NY19) announced his support for bipartisan legislation that would allow the state of New York to reduce motor vehicle greenhouse gas emissions by implementing stricter tailpipe emission standards. The Right to Clean Vehicles Act would overturn a recent denial by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of California's request for a waiver to adopt stricter automobile emissions standards.
"This misguided decision by the EPA is preventing New York and other states from taking the lead to fight global warming," said Congressman Hall, a member of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. "If the Bush Administration's EPA isn't going to show leadership on the issue of global climate change, they should at least get out of New York's way."
In an effort to combat air pollution and climate change, California, New York, and eleven other states have attempted to institute tailpipe emission standards that are more rigorous than the federal standards under the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act generally prevents states from adopting their own emission standards for mobile sources unless they receive a waiver from the EPA that allows them to exceed the law’s requirements. On December 19, 2007, the EPA issued its first rejection in almost 40 years when it denied California’s waiver request. This denial means that New York's stricter tailpipe emissions cannot go into effect.
The Right to Clean Vehicles Act would reverse the EPA's decision and immediately grant California’s waiver, giving New York and the additional eleven states the authority to implement tailpipe emission standards immediately and allowing other states to opt-in in the future.
