Vermont Governor Douglas Testifies in Support of GHG Emissions Standards

Says EPA Waiver Denial Is ‘Legally and Factually Unsound’

January 24, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Vermont Governor Jim Douglas today urged Congress to hold the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accountable to the Clean Air Act.

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Testifying before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Douglas said Vermont is a leader among the 12 states that have adopted California’s tough tailpipe emissions standards and in 2005 was the first state to sign on to California’s amendments.

Under the federal Clean Air Act, California has the right to set its own vehicle emissions standards, as long as it obtains a waiver from the EPA. The Clean Air Act also allows any state to opt-in to the California standard, which becomes fully enforceable once California obtains a waiver. Over the past 30 years, the EPA has granted California more than 40 such waivers, denying none.

“Climate change poses risks to Vermont’s public health, welfare and economy,” Douglas said. “Ours is a rural state and Vermonters have traditionally worked the land for their livelihood. Tourism, farming, logging and maple sugaring are major economic drivers. Global warming could threaten our way of life and we have an obligation to do all we can to protect our environment for future generations.”

Even though Vermont has the lowest carbon footprint in the nation, the transportation sector accounts for about 45 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, Douglas said.

“Vermont’s adoption of California’s standards alone will not solve the global warming problem, but it is a significant step in the right direction that Vermont and other states must be permitted to take,” Douglas said. “For these reasons, Vermont has joined with 15 other states in California’s appeal challenging EPA’s waiver denial as both legally and factually unsound.”

In all, 20 states have adopted or committed to adopting the California clean car regulations, representing more than half the nation’s car population. Those states are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Washington.

The full text of Governor Douglas’ testimony can be found at http://governor.vermont.gov/speeches/speeches.html.

A Webcast of the Committee hearing can be viewed at http://epw.senate.gov/epwmultimedia/epwmultimedia.htm

Source: Vermont Governor