Taking The Hill
EPA Funding Bill Passes With a Small Hitch
White House officials and key members of Congress agreed to attach a revised Linder-Collins ozone amendment to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spending bill for 2001. The revised Linder-Collins rider bars the EPA from designating non-attainment areas for the eight-hour ozone standard prior to June 15, 2001, or prior to the Supreme Court's final decision on American Trucking Association vs. Browner - whichever comes first. The EPA's rationale for setting the eight-hour standard is currently being reviewed by the court. The revision of the Linder-Collins amendment means that the EPA will be prohibited from designating non-attainment areas for nine months rather than for all of fiscal 2001, which the original rider had proposed.Environmentalists Upset with So-Called “Loopholes”
Eight environmental groups wrote President Clinton to criticize “loopholes so large that the [Kyoto] protocol would not result in any real reductions in greenhouse gas emission.” The groups, which include Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Fund and the Union of Concerned Scientists, are threatening to withdraw their support for the treaty if the new provisions are approved. The groups claim that the biggest loophole is a provision that would enable U.S. power plants and businesses to avoid cutting emissions by planting trees in America and developing countries.Dingell: CEQ Should Be Abolished
U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., introduced a bill to abolish the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) because it “has outlived its usefulness” and “CEQ's role has evolved from one of facilitation to one of obfuscation,” Dingell said on the House floor. CEQ was established by the National Environmental Policy Act more than 30 years ago by a law sponsored by Dingell. Dingell's staff does not expect the bill to move this session of Congress, but hopes the bill will open a debate about the need for CEQ.Supreme Court Set to Hear Environmental Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear environmental cases that may have the most far-ranging constitutional implications of any this session. The decisions may not come until the end of the term in early summer, however. One of the most important cases the court will hear is American Trucking Association vs. Browner. An appeals court ruled last year that the EPA had not completed cost-benefit analyses and so could not implement two rules setting new Clean Air Act standards for ozone and particulate matter emissions.The rules at issue are designed to protect the health of some 125 million Americans, though industry groups, from farmers to manufacturers, question whether the scientific evidence available justifies the potential cost and effects. They also say implementation by the states will have dire economic consequences for all Americans and for the U.S. economy as a whole, exceeding $45 billion annually.
Dated Fuel Economy Hurting Consumers
An environmental group has released findings that claim poor fuel economy standards are costing motorists thousands of dollars in unnecessary fuel purchases.The U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) says that new car buyers are paying more than 30 percent of the sticker price of a new car in fuel costs over the lifetime of the vehicle. Consumers would pay significantly less in fuel costs over the lifetime of their vehicle if vehicles achieved 45 miles per gallon (mpg).
U.S. PIRG, several lawmakers and some environmental groups are pushing Congress to increase corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards. Congress instituted CAFE standards in 1975, but since FY 1996, riders supported by the auto industry on the Department of Transportation appropriations laws have successfully frozen CAFE standards.
Under the Clean Air Act, the standards dictate the average fuel efficiency auto manufacturers' fleet must achieve to avoid fines - currently 27.5 mpg for cars and 20.7 mpg for light trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles.
Using the group's 45 mpg standard, the best-selling Honda Accord costs an additional $5,000 in fuel, and emits an additional 96,000 pounds of greenhouse gases. Those buying the best-selling SUV, the Ford Explorer, are paying an additional $7,100 and emitting an extra 136,000 pounds of greenhouse gases, according to the study.
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AutoInc. Magazine ® Vol.XLVIII, December 2000
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