Vermont Joins Emissions Lawsuit Against Bush Administration

States Seek Authority to Implement Auto Emission Standards

November 8, 2007 -- Montpelier, Vt. – Vermont will join a California lawsuit that contends the EPA has unreasonably stalled a decision that would force automakers to produce vehicles with cleaner emissions, Vermont Governor Jim Douglas announced today.

The California lawsuit was filed today in federal court in Washington to force the EPA to grant the state a waiver under the Clean Air Act. That waiver is needed because California’s standards are stricter than the federal regulations. California is still trying to implement a 2002 state law that requires car makers to produce vehicles that emit fewer greenhouse gas emissions by model year 2009.

Vermont – and 13 other states – are ready to enforce their own tougher regulations on emissions from cars, trucks and SUVs. Governor Douglas ordered his administration to adopt the tougher emissions standards several years ago and the Vermont Legislature codified them in state law last year. Vermont was the first state after California to adopt the standards.

“We stand with our friends in California who recognize the significant role that vehicle emissions play in climate change,” said Gov. Jim Douglas. “Vermonters are proud of their leadership position as America’s greenest state. We know these tougher standards will help reduce our carbon footprint even more.”

According to the Governor’s Commission on Climate Change, emissions from vehicles accounts for about 45 percent of Vermont’s CO2 output. Among its many recommendations, the Commission is calling for implementing the California standards.

In September, U.S. District Court Judge William K. Sessions III ruled against automakers in a case against the state, saying that Vermont has right to set its own regulations on gases.

Agency of Natural Resources Secretary George Crombie said reducing Vermont’s CO2 output is integral to Vermont’s far-reaching recommendations and creation of the Agency’s new Center for Climate Change and Waste Reduction. “We know how important it is to reduce our greenhouse gases,” Crombie said. “It’s time for the EPA to grant the waiver and let Vermont lead the way.”

Source: Vermont Governor