| Subject: Re: California to slash cars’ carbon gases: Citing global warming, state takes on industry and Bush |
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Kathyrn
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Date Posted: 11:09:34 07/28/02 Sun
Author Host/IP: 209.240.222.131
In reply to:
Way tew GO!!!!! It's called, REsponsible LEADERSHIP!
's message, "California to slash cars’ carbon gases: Citing global warming, state takes on industry and Bush" on 19:30:29 07/21/02 Sun
>Gray Davis You Rock!
>
>:)
>
>SAN FRANCISCO, July 21 — When California Gov. Gray
>Davis signs a car emissions bill into law on Monday,
>he’ll be taking on not just the U.S. automotive
>industry but also President Bush. The law will require
>sharp cuts in emissions of carbon dioxide, a gas many
>scientists fear is warming the Earth. The industry and
>the president oppose mandatory cuts, but several other
>states — New York among them — could follow
>California’s path.
>
> ‘We have reasons to believe that some of the
>northeastern states are looking very closely at what’s
>going on here.’
>— JIM BOYD
>California Energy Commission
>
> THE MEASURE will make California the first state to
>regulate vehicle emissions of so-called greenhouse
>gases.
> Specifically, it orders the state’s Air
>Resources Board to adopt regulations that would
>achieve “the maximum feasible reduction” in greenhouse
>gas emissions from cars and light-duty trucks, the
>category that includes SUVs. The most direct route to
>cutting emissions is to make vehicles get more miles
>to the gallon. Higher mileage means fewer gases
>emitted per mile driven.
> The regulations, which are to be completed by
>2005, would not take effect until Jan. 1, 2006. The
>amended version of the bill also gives automakers
>until 2009 to come up with technological changes or
>modifications to comply with the new standards.
> Below’s a look at both sides of the issue, the
>politics behind it, as well as how California’s action
>could be used by other states to circumvent federal
>regulations.
>
>
> Davis, a Democrat, announced Friday that he
>would sign the bill. “It is urgent that we act,” Davis
>said in a conference call with reporters, noting that
>many scientists “believe that global warming is no
>longer a theory, it is a reality.”
> Democrats across the country have attacked the
>Bush administration for failing to establish mandatory
>action to combat global warming, and environmental
>groups reacted with dismay when the federal government
>in April rejected a proposed 50 percent boost in fuel
>efficiency for gas-guzzling cars and SUVs.
> In California — a Democratic stronghold with a
>strong record of environmental regulation —
>politicians moved to take the matter into their own
>hands, passing the new emissions bill by a narrow 41
>to 30 vote in the state assembly this month.
>
>
>
> “This bill represents another example of
>California showing leadership,” said Winston Hickox,
>head of the state’s Environmental Protection Agency.
>He also took a jab at the president, saying he felt
>“that Washington’s dropped the ball in cleaning up
>carbon pollution gasses that trap and change our
>climate.”
> California officials say the bill is not
>excessive and is simply designed to nudge the
>automobile industry.
> “Many of these technologies would work whether
>its on a European mini car or its on the largest SUV
>here,” said Tom Cackette, the Air Resources Board’s
>chief deputy executive officer.
>
>
>
>Solar input
>A third of the sun's energy is reflected back into
>space after hitting Earth's upper atmosphere, but two
>thirds warms the planet and drives its weather engine.
>The atmosphere
>A delicate balance of gases gives Earth its livable
>temperature. Known as "greenhouse" gases because they
>trap heat inside the atmosphere, they send a portion
>of that heat back to Earth's surface. The gases
>include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and
>nitrous oxide.
>The oceans
>Covering two thirds of Earth, oceans are the key
>source of moisture in the air and they store heat
>efficiently, transporting it thousands of miles. The
>oceans and marine life also consume huge amounts of
>carbon dioxide.
>The water cycle
>Higher air temperatures can increase water evaporation
>and melting of ice. And while water vapor is the most
>potent greenhouse gas, clouds also affect evaporation,
>creating a cooling effect.
>Clouds
>They both cool Earth by reflecting solar energy and
>warm Earth by trapping heat being radiated up from the
>surface.
>Ice and snow
>The whiteness of ice and snow reflects heat out,
>cooling the planet. When ice melts into the sea, that
>drives heat from the ocean.
>Land surface
>Mountain ranges can block clouds, creating ‘dry’
>shadows downwind. Sloping land allows more water
>runoff, leaving the land and air drier. A tropical
>forest will soak up carbon dioxide, but once cleared
>for cattle ranching, the same land becomes a source of
>methane, a greenhouse gas.
>Human influences
>Humans might be magnifying warming by adding to the
>greenhouse gases naturally present in the atmosphere.
>Fuel use is the chief cause of rising carbon dioxide
>levels. On the other hand, humans create temporary,
>localized cooling effects through the use of aerosols,
>such as smoke and sulfates from industry, which
>reflect sunlight away from Earth.
>Source: National Geographic; MSNBC
>Printable version
>
>THOSE AGAINST
> The auto industry has criticized the bill as a
>“driving tax” designed to put a wedge between
>Californians and their beloved SUVs and pickup trucks
>— which now account for some 47 percent of passenger
>vehicles sold in the state, a percentage that 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 Arizonans and Nevadans and
>Oregonians will still have that choice,” said Eron
>Shosteck, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile
>Manufacturers. “This gives unelected bureaucrats a
>blank check to design the cars that Californians will
>drive.”
>
>
>
>
>
> The State of the World
>Test your knowledge of the planet's health
>
>
>
>
>
> Shosteck said the industry is mulling its
>options, including an effort to put a referendum on
>the bill on the November state ballot and a possible
>legal challenge to California’s right to override
>federal fuel efficiency standards.
> “This bill is all pocketbook pain and no
>environmental gain,” Shosteck said. “The Air Resources
>Board wants everyone driving around in golf carts.”
>
>
> Check this list to see which 2002 vehicles scored
>highest and lowest in the annual "Green Book" by the
>American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The
>"Green Score" is based on estimates of health and
>global-warming costs attributed to each vehicle, with
>100 being the best possible score.
> Choose a car:--Greener carsHonda InsightToyota
>PriusHonda Civic HXFord Focus WagonSuzuki Esteem
>WagonSaturn L100/200Toyota RAV4Chevrolet ImpalaToyota
>TacomaToyota HighlanderChevrolet Venture¹Ford
>F-150--Greenest carsHonda Insight²Honda Civic
>GX³Toyota RAV4 EVToyota PriusHonda Civic HXToyota
>EchoNissan Sentra CAHonda CivicMitsubishi MirageToyota
>CorollaChevrolet PrizmSaturn SL--Meanest carsDodge Ram
>Pickup 2500Chevrolet Suburban K2500GMC Yukon XL
>K2500Cadillac EscaladeGMC Yukon DenaliFord
>ExcursionLamborghini L-147GMC Sierra K2500Chevy
>Silverado K2500Mercedes-Benz G500Dodge Ram Wagon
>2500Lexus LX 470Toyota Land CruiserChevrolet
>AvalancheLincoln Navigator
>Engine type
> City Mileage
> Hwy Mileage
> Green Score
>
>
>1. Also, Oldsmobile Silhouette and Pontiac Montana
>with same specifications.
>2. The manual transmission version of this car scores
>nearly as well.
>3. Compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle fuel economy
>given in gasoline-equivalent miles per gallon.
>4. Electric vehicle fuel economy given in miles per
>kilowatt-hour.
>5. Automatic transmission versions of these models
>score nearly as well.
>SOURCE: American Council for an Energy-Efficient
>Economy
>
>
>
>STATE’S INFLUENCE
> California officials concede that even if the
>state is successful in legislating a cut in greenhouse
>gas emissions, that alone will do little to stop the
>overall rise in world temperatures. While the United
>States contributes roughly 25 percent of the global
>greenhouse gasses, California — long a national leader
>in tough air pollution regulations — is not among the
>top emitters.
>
>
> Take a road trip
>
> MSNBC Interactive
>
> • Build your own Green SUV for a virtual road trip
>
>
>
>
> But those officials argue that the state’s
>action will set an example for other states and even
>nations to follow.
> That’s because California, alone among U.S.
>states, has the ability to impose its own air quality
>standards because its Air Resources Board was
>established before the U.S. Environmental Protection
>Agency was formed under the Clean Air Act of 1970.
> The act also allows other states to follow
>California’s standards rather than the federal ones.
>
> Environment news
>
> Keep up with environment news: MSNBC's special
>section is updated regularly
>
> • Click here to bookmark Environment News
>
>
>
>
>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.
> “We have reasons to believe that some of the
>northeastern states are looking very closely at what’s
>going on here,” said Jim Boyd, a member of the
>California Energy Commission.
> Environmentalists agree. The move, the Natural
>Resources Defense Council stated, “promises to reshape
>the global warming debate throughout the United
>States.”
>
> Reuters contributed to this story.
============================================
I am very proud of my governor Gray Davis!
It is high time that someone did what is right for our future and the future of our planet!
I find the Bush doctrine of "JUST GET USED TO IT!"
To be the most irresponsible thing I think I have heard someone in the White House say!
And everyone in the house and the senate has been way to kind in giving Bush most everything he has wanted since 9-11!
So Governor Davis is doing what should have been done on a federal level...
I am hoping that other states in our great country follow his Lead
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