Monday, June 11, 2007
Editorial: Boucher blows hot air
His reasons for blocking California emissions standards just don't make any sense.
From the RoundTable blog
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Rep. John Dingell's role in pushing a bill to limit the ability of California and other states to cap greenhouse gas emissions from cars is easy enough to figure out.
Dingell represents Detroit, after all, and carmakers are big donors.
But why is Southwest Virginia's Rep. Rick Boucher joining Dingell in pushing this bill, which is angering top Democrats like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein?
Boucher, whose district is home to the last vestiges of Virginia's dwindling coal industry, gets a lot of campaign money from mining and utility interests. It wouldn't be as surprising to see him playing the spoiler on emissions controls for coal-fired power plants.
But cars?
The legislation Boucher's subcommittee is drafting would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from issuing a waiver to California and other states that would allow them to impose more stringent standards on greenhouse gas emissions from cars.
His proferred rationale makes little sense: Because of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the Environmental Protection Agency must regulate greenhouse gas emissions. That, Boucher said, would potentially put automakers under the authority of the EPA, the federal Department of Transportation and the various states considering emissions limits.
"The automakers are understandably concerned about this regulatory confusion," Boucher said. "You could have at least three different regulations that would be inconsistent and make it impossible for them to manufacture their product."
That's nonsense. California has long had stricter standards for different emissions than the federal government. The auto industry has not seemed confused by that.
In fact, California has often led the way for better polution controls nationwide. The populous state represents such a large portion of the domestic market that once a technology is perfected to meet California's requirements, carmakers put it in place in all their vehicles.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with governors from seven other states, sent a letter to Boucher opposing the bill he and Dingell are drafting.
"Congress must not deny states the right to pursue solutions in the absence of federal policy," the letter said.
Until the EPA adopts serious regulations for greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, Boucher should abandon his efforts to stop states that want to make a difference.
