CALIFORNIA WEIGHS NOVEL AUTO GHG PLAN TO SIDESTEP EPA WAIVER DENIAL

摘要

California officials are considering a novel proposal from environmentalists for including vehicle manufacturers in a statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) cap-and-trade scheme as one possible strategy for sidestepping EPA's denial of a Clean Air Act waiver, which the state sought to set tailpipe emissions standards. The plan, which will be considered at an April 21 meeting, calls for setting a fleet-wide GHG cap for automobiles over their lifecycle and then allowing manufacturers to trade credits to meet the cap. However, even proponents of the novel new approach have doubts that it will be adopted, and, if it is, whether the plan would bypass EPA's waiver denial. An auto industry source says manufacturers generally oppose state-only GHG reduction programs, including a statewide cap-and-trade scheme for automakers.