Climate Change No-S

Source: Boston Globe
[Apr 18, 2006]

SINCE NEITHER Congress nor the Bush administration has shown any stomach for requiring automakers to make more efficient cars that produce less greenhouse gas, leadership has passed to the state of California. Since 1990, it has had the right to set higher auto emission standards, which other states can then adopt. California is proposing to mandate reductions of carbon dioxide, which 10 other states, including Massachusetts and New York, want to impose, too.

Before California's standards can go into effect, the state needs a waiver from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Until now, the EPA has granted more than 40 such waivers and never denied one, but the EPA recently reasserted a belief that only it can mandate car efficiency improvements. To support the request from California and the 10 states, 21 senators recently sent a letter to the EPA's head, Stephen L. Johnson, arguing that the tougher standards are necessary and feasible.

Every new scientific report on the effects of global warming on sea levels and extreme weather events proves the tougher standards are needed. The letter says the standards are feasible because the improvements needed to reduce fuel use and, thus, emissions are 'achievable using technologies that are already incorporated in many vehicle models."

A denial of the waiver by Bush's EPA would be obstructionist -- and sadly in line with the administration's ostrich-like attitude on climate change.

But Kerry should leap at this chance to limit emissions on 33 percent of all cars sold in this country even while he fights for a nationwide standard.

The letter bears the names of most of the senators -- and all the Democrats except Kerry and Clinton -- from the 11 states. One signing senator is from a state not adopting the standards, John McCain of Arizona, who is also cosponsor of a bill with Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut that would curb greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

It is not a good sign for Democratic leadership on the issue of climate change that two of its leading potential presidential candidates in 2008 do not have their John Hancocks on the letter, and the leading potential Republican candidate does.