California: Emissions battle warming up - Automakers promise to challenge in court .

The Orange County Register ^ | July 23, 2002 | JOHN HOWARD

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Automakers promise to challenge in court California's new law limiting greenhouse gases.

SACRAMENTO -- Now the real fight begins in California over greenhouse gases.

Gov. Gray Davis signed the bill Monday curbing vehicle emissions, and automakers immediately said they would challenge it in court.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

It is all about the environmentalists and their vote!

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[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Six of 11 members on California Air Resources board are Wilson appointees, including one from Seal Beach

July 23, 2002

The 11 voting members of the California Air Resources Board serve indefinite terms, subject to action by the governor.

Alan C. Lloyd, 60, D-Sacramento, chairman - Formerly top scientist at South Coast Air Quality Management District, and head of Energy and Environmental Engineering Center at the Desert Research Institute, Reno. (appointed 1999 by Gov. Gray Davis).

William A. Burke, 62, D- Los Angeles - Head of the SCAQMD's governing board, and formerly head of the state Fish and Game Commission and the Wildlife Conservation Board. Burke is a board member of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (appointed 1993 by former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown).

Joseph C. Calhoun, 73, R-Seal Beach - Owner of Calhoun & Associates, a consulting company that specializes in air-quality issues. A chemical engineer, was a pollution inspector for Los Angeles County, and was assistant director for automotive emissions for General Motors (appointed 1994 by former Gov. Pete Wilson).

Dorene D'Adamo, 42, D-Modesto - A graduate of the McGeorge School of Law, she has served as legal counsel to Rep. Gary Condit, D-Modesto, since 1994. She has been a guest lecturer for California State University, Stanislaus, and was assistant director of the California Youth Authority (1999, Davis).

Mark J. DeSaulnier, 50, D-Concord - A member of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors and former Concord mayor, also a restaurant owner. Has served on Bay area air-quality and transportation districts (1997, Wilson).

C. Hugh Friedman, 71, R-San Diego - An expert on corporate and securities law, Friedman has taught for 40 years at the University of San Diego Law School. Formerly a deputy state attorney general and president of the state Board of Education (1999, Davis).

William F. Friedman, 65, R-Los Angeles - A medical doctor, he is an associate academic dean at the University of California, Los Angeles, Medical School, and former chairman of the school's pediatrics department. He has served on the state Medical Board since 1994 (1996, Wilson).

Matthew R. McKinnon, 45, D-Sacramento - Executive officer of the California Conference of Machinists, representing aerospace, defense, trucking and other workers. Formerly, McKinnon worked for the California Labor Federation (1999, Davis).

Barbara Patrick, 54, R-Bakersfield - Former chairwoman of the Kern County Board of Supervisors, and member of the San Joaquin Valley pollution-control district. Former school teacher (1997, Wilson).

Barbara Riordan, 60, R-Redlands - A former member and chairwoman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, Riordan holds general and lifetime California teaching credentials. She served 13 years with the supervisors, and also on the Mojave Desert air quality district (1991, Wilson).

Ron Roberts, 59, R-San Diego - A member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, and member of local transit and air-quality districts. Roberts, an architect, was managing partner in a San Diego firm prior to his 1987 election to the San Diego City Council (1995, Wilson).

[azsportsterman]

The automakers should produce cars for the rest of the US market and develop dealership-installed kits for the Kali market. The dealers could install the kits and markup the price accordingly. The diffence in price between Kali cars and cars in neighboring states would allow the Kali-consumers to see the true monetary cost of the law their legislature passed. How long do you think it would take to repeal the law?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Good idea, direct info to the voting public!

[biblewonk]

"Federal law and common sense prohibit each state from developing its own fuel economy standards,"

Surely no proper conservative would be ok with this. A conservative should applaud California for doing something it's own way instead of the way the Federal Gmt wants.

[newgeezer]

For many years, CA had its own emissions standards, and auto manufacturers responded by making 49-state-equipped cars and CA-equipped cars. Of course, they could have (and I suspect, in some cases, did) respond by selling the cleaner CA cars everywhere. But, for the most part at least, the mfrs. knew consumers in the other 49 states would not be happy driving the slower and/or less-efficient CA-equipped cars, especially if the competition was selling faster, more-efficient cars.

That said, I believe individual states should be free to impose whatever emissions standards they wish on new, used, imported, or whatever cars they want at the peril of their voters. (For example,) Let North Dakota impose a hodge-podge of emissions standards, and see how many auto mfrs. simply decide not to sell cars to North Dakotans. Or, see how happy North Dakotans are in paying 20% more than South Dakotans for the same model.

[John Jorsett]

If I were a resident of another state and wanted to move with my SUV to California, would they refuse to register my car? Seems like this would have a tough time passing constitutional muster.

I think attempting to get this thrown out by the courts is a dumb strategy. They'd be much smarter to go the initiative route. They could easily get the signatures needed to put this on the ballot, and I get it'd be defeated. Even if it weren't they'd still have the court strategy to fall back on. I wonder why they've chosen not to get this put before the voters.

[biblewonk]

Yes and California knows it is the biggest car market in the country. Did you catch that pointless piece of data saying that if california went to all zero emmision cars it would only lower world co2 levels by 1 percent? California's crazy laws invented the 10 billion dollar per year wind industry.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

This is all about Davis buying votes for the fall election.

[biblewonk]

If more Californians are for this than against it, then he seems to be doing the right thing.

[dalereed]

Take your bicycles and wind machines and stick them! You might enjoy life more in China.

[Brad’s Gramma]

I don't think more Californian's are for this. I think they've been sold a bill of goods....AND ...the truth has not been reported by the media!!!!

[edger]

The auto manufacturers are paying lawyers anyway. Why not let them struggle a little in court? If they weren't doing that, they would just be doing something else.

If I were an auto manufacturer, I would ignore California's silly laws. I would provide a few completely electric cars or fuel cell cars at $50k to $80k a pop. I would make my standard cars available in Las Vegas and let Californians buy them and try to import them.

[Fredgoblu]

Idea #1.

(I know, this is really radical...but...)

How about creating incentives for people to drive lower-emitting cars? How, you ask? Try this...currently, the cost of registering your car is based on the value of the car. Instead of that, base the cost of registration on the grams/mile of emissions produced by the car (and the year-over-year odometer reading). A model T might cost you $10,000 per year to register, while an EV-1 might cost you $250-$500 per year.

Keep in mind that there is no such thing as zero emission automotive transportation. Even an electric car requires emissions at the point of electricity generation.

So, we'd have to save that $0 registration fee for some yet-to-be invented solar or wind-powered car.

[sheik yerbouty]

More PC fascism from the Caliban. They should simply refrain from breathing as CO2 contributes to "greenhouse gases".

[Fredgoblu]

Idea #2.

This is for the entrepreneurs out there...

Buy a couple acres of desert in Nevada, and subdivide it into 1 square foot parcels, complete with their own postal addresses.

Sell individual parcels to Californians, register their cars to that address, and send them home to California with brand new Nevada license plates on their acceptable-emissions-in-49-state cars.

[Redleg Duke]

I think the automakers ought to boycott Kalifornicatia.

[Fredgoblu]

Idea #3.

Leave the state and join the rest of us rational folks in the other 49 states. Once the tax revenues dry up, they'll come crying for our/your business again.

[biblewonk]

Typical mindlessness.