California’s tough exhaust emission law may spur other US states to follow suit. What ripple effect will this green wave have on other markets?
California’s tough exhaust emission law may spur other US states to follow suit, marking one of the most significant environmental challenges to the biggest automotive market in the world. What will be the ripple effect of this green wave?
The measure, which was signed earlier this year, makes California the first state to regulate vehicle greenhouse gas emissions – sending a clear message to those regulators who have declined to raise America’s national fuel efficiency standards.
Davis administration officials say California’s move could help to set new national and international priorities in the fight against global warming.
The law, which was fiercely opposed by the automotive industry, requires the state’s Air Resources Board to adopt regulations that would achieve “the maximum reduction” in emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, emitted by cars and SUVs.
The regulations will not take effect until January 1 2006 and the amended version of the bill gives automakers until 2009 to come up with technological changes or modifications to comply with the new standards.
Car industry lobby groups argue the bill was designed to put a wedge between Californians and their beloved SUVs – which account for 47 per cent of passenger vehicles sold in the state. The number has tripled over the last 30 years.
“The danger is that Californians may lose the choice to buy the vehicles they need for their families and work while people from Arizona, Nevada and Oregon will still have that choice,” said a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
“This gives unelected bureaucrats a blank cheque to design the cars that Californians will drive,” he added.
It’s debatable whether consumers, if given a choice, would ever willingly opt for a vehicle that lacks the performance and prestige of a boulevard cruiser. And manufacturers across the globe are all too aware of this fact.
However, California officials say the law is simply designed to nudge the industry into devising vehicles that produce less greenhouse gas.
“Many of these technologies would work on a European subcompact car or on the largest SUV available in the US,” said the Californian air resources board.
Alarmingly, California officials concede that even if the state were successful in legislating a reduction in vehicle greenhouse gas emissions, it would do little to stop the overall rise in world temperatures.
While the United States contributes roughly 25 per cent of global greenhouse gasses, California is not among the top offenders. But environmentalists say that by moving to cut back on vehicle greenhouse emissions, California may be setting an example for other states and nations to follow.
In New York, a state legislator has suggested introducing a bill similar to California’s, while officials in other states are believed to be studying their alternatives.
“Some of the north-eastern states are looking very closely at what’s going on here,” said Jim Boyd, a member of the California Energy Commission.
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers said opponents of the measure were mulling their options, including a possible legal challenge to California’s right to override federal fuel efficiency standards.
“This bill is all pocketbook pain and no environmental gain. The Air Resources Board wants everyone driving around in golf carts.”
