California Governor Schwarzenegger Issues Statement on EPA Waiver Reconsideration Hearing

03/05/2009 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued the following statement today regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearing to reconsider a 38-month old waiver request to enforce California’s greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and light trucks:

“Today marks renewed hope that California and a growing number of states will finally get to move forward with a commonsense policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles. California’s standard is the equivalent of taking 6.5 million cars off the road and will make our air cleaner, save drivers money at the pump and reduce our nation’s dependence on imported oil.

“With nearly forty percent of our greenhouse gas emissions coming from transportation, putting cleaner cars on the road is critically important to meeting California’s environmental goals. This is the first critical step toward significantly reducing global warming pollution from passenger vehicles.

“Recognizing the right of California and other states to aggressively reduce their own harmful vehicular greenhouse gas emissions would be a historic win for clean air and for millions of Americans who want more efficient, environmentally-friendly cars. California has an extremely strong case and I trust the EPA will grant us a waiver without delay.

“My administration has been fighting for this waiver since 2005 and we will not give up. This isn’t just about California. Thirteen other states and the District of Columbia have adopted California’s standards, and five more are actively pursuing adoption. A swift decision by the EPA is critical to requiring automakers to make more efficient cars that pollute less.

“California’s vehicle emissions standards are cost-effective and can be met with off-the-shelf technology. In fact, there are already many models available now that comply with the final standards that require a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2016. And we know they can do even better in the future by developing innovative new technologies and techniques that will ultimately make better cars. This will make the industry more competitive around the world while laying the groundwork for a cleaner fuel industry that is just waiting to boom.”

Linda Adams, Secretary for California’s Environmental Protection Agency, read the Governor’s statement into the official record at the U.S. EPA Hearing “California State Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Standards; Greenhouse Gas Regulations; Reconsideration of Previous Denial of a Waiver of Preemption” in Washington, D.C. today.

Source: California Governor