Fighting for Pavley

California’s Pavley Law, which would limit CO2 emissions of cars and trucks in the state by around 30 percent, is being zealously blocked by the federal government.

In order for the duly enacted laws to take effect, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had to grant a waiver. The EPA deliberated for nearly two years, during which time the Supreme Court ruled the EPA had to view regulated CO2 as a pollutant and a federal judge rejected corporate arguments against the law. These rulings appeared to reinforce California’s claim that it had a right to regulate emissions and provided the EPA good reasons to grant the waiver. Unfortunately, the EPA formally refused the waivers at the end of 2007.

Not to be discouraged, Friends of the Earth is backing a bill in the U.S. Congress that would grant the waiver that EPA denied.

Read the letter to Senators Boxer and Feinstein