Early reports on the new national emissions/CAFE standard seemed to imply that California would be barred from moving the goalposts again on emissions. Not so, it seems. Automotive News [sub] reports that California’s Air Resource Board (CARB) is preparing the next round of emissions standards, and (surprise!) they will become more strict rather than the other way around. Or, as CARB Chair Mary Nichols puts it, 2016 will see the emergence of “a much more stringent standard.”
“We will be working with our colleagues at EPA,” says Nichols, “but the reality is that because California is one state with a very strong market and a history of desire for advanced vehicles, we can move much more quickly and aggressively than the federal government.” What else can we expect from CARB? Caps on pollution by big rig diesel trucks to requirements that gasoline and other providers cut the amount of carbon in their fuel, according to Nichols. However, future changes to California’s emissions standards will have to be approved by state legislators, and a waiver must be obtained from the EPA.
Yes, apparently the Obama Administration officially granted California their waiver, but then got California to not actually use the waiver by implementing the standards the CARB was going to use anyway.
However, they still have the waiver, and they can still use it next time. (Presuming it doesn’t somehow get revoked before 2016; not sure what the process would be for that since it’s never happened.) CARB now has immense leverage to threaten to institute its own rules for post-2016 again, unless the next Administration also agrees to whatever rules CARB comes up with.
I for one welcome our new bankrupt Californian emissions overlords.
Eventually, CA will require the deceased be exported (via solar-powered car/truck) to Nevada for cremation.
Yet, by all means…let the illegals drive their polluting heaps such as ’77 Chevy Novas. Not to sound inflammatory- but that’s exactly what occurs in CA. One ’77 Nova spewing out raw gasoline equates to how many hundreds of hybrids?
Actually, the preferred vehicle of choice is a vintage ’70’s full-size van.
I thought CA was looking to outlaw black Hearses due to their overwhelming consumption of fuel above and beyond that of a white or beige one.
Are these people elected? Who allows them to wield so much power?
If Obama enacts legislation tightening emissions standards (or even takes administrative agency action through the EPA) there will be a lot less running room for CARB to push for anything more stringent.
In other words, CARB shouldn’t count on EPA waivers if they try and get too far ‘ahead’ of the EPA these days.
“requirements that gasoline and other providers cut the amount of carbon in their fuel”
Huh? Looks like these bureaucrats flunked chemistry.
By 2016, the way things are going in the People’s Loony-toons Republik of Kalifornication, it’ll be so like what Detroit looks like now (only worse), that car emissions will be the last thing they need to worry about.
Will there be a sufficient number of horses to pull carts adequate to get the “free” Dictator Obama soy and seaweed “food” to all of the once-illegal aliens who will be living in hovels? Without electricity?
What about the horse-manure problem? Diseases?
The place is going to empty faster than Detroit post-riot 1967.
If you are really brave, or perhaps have a very reliable and bullet-proof car, go take a look at what much of Detroit looks like for a preview… Or Saginaw…. or worse, Flint….
People for, and get, the government they deserve, I guess.
NotFast: “Are these people elected? Who allows them to wield so much power?”
How dare you question the authority of the High and Mighty CARB! Its righteous dictates are hurled down in the name of the Lord Enviro, who is a zealous god. Remember, what’s good for the Los Angeles basin is even better for central Nebraska! Bow down and worship Enviro as CARB directs, or perish in the everlasting lake of fire known as Global Warming.
When your purpose of being is to keep cutting the use of something, why are you surprised that they keep trying to get stuff cut?
This is like MADD pushing for ever lower limits, despite no proof they do anything.
@ rhpzero:
Good point. And, as someone (here) pointed out, the US continues to cut emissions while the rest of the world (with no guardian angel CARB to watch over them) churns out more and more pollution. Have you ever seen an asthmatic in Thailand? Not a pretty sight.
rhpzero,
That’s incorrect what you say- as their “purpose” is NOT to cut emissions. Their “purpose” is to grow in size, scope, and influence. Their means of doing so is to cut emissions.
If you haven’t yet learned this- it is the very nature of bureaucracy.
They’re talking about outlawing BBQs, ok…and those outdoor gas-powered space heaters as well.
You’ve seen the “black paint” insanity….a group of “professionals” debating the reflectivity of paint (all the while collecting a nice salary)..so why should the above (BBQs and space-heaters) be a surprise?
Imagine being a “criminal” for standing outside grilling a steak and drinking a cold beer? If that isn’t Nazi-esque, I don’t know what is.
Why doesn’t CARB focus their effort on the air quality of Owens Valley and the Mono Lake area? Since they’ve pumped the water dry the region has become a giant unhealthy dust bowl. The desertification of that area is a true environmental, man-made disaster!!! Driving into the area you can see the giant cloud of dust some 30-40 miles away.
Ok California…anytime you want to break off and float away…that will be fine. NOBODY should use you as a model for ANYTHING anyway.
California Bankrupt?
Not so soon!!!
Do you really think that Obama will allow his stronghold state to go bankrupt?
You (the rest of the country) will end up paying for the California’s insane financial irresponsibility!!!
A trillion here, a trillion there…
The California Unions weren’t any less supportive of Obama than their UAW brothers and deserve their own payback in the
form of another bailout.
So America, suck it up and pay.
And try to learn an important lesson before the whole country ends up they way California is.
In other words, CARB shouldn’t count on EPA waivers if they try and get too far ‘ahead’ of the EPA these days.
I’m sorry, you’re completely wrong. The Obama EPA granted the waiver. They just negotiated the national standards to be the same as CARB’s standards.
CARB can count on that wavier, they already have it. Perhaps you’re expected that the waiver will be noisily revoked?
As for people thinking California was done after this announcement, they still have their waiver available.
For further analysis of the announcement, here is a post by somebody who actually worked on CAFE proposals under Bush. It makes for very interesting and enlightening reading.
The site seems a little slow from traffic, but it is a solid post.
Today was a bloodbath.
Stocks down, dollar down, bonds down and precious metals up.
I think if you play Obamanomics correctly you can make a lot of money.
Why in the hell is GM’s stock up 32%. This boggles the mind, who are these crazy idiots buying up this used toilet paper. It’s nearly doubled in price over the week, yet they are headed down the bowl faster than last week.
Someone please explain this.
Perhaps uncharacteristically for someone who likes cars, I can’t really see anything wrong with making emissions laws progressively stricter over time. The whole point is that cars get cleaner and cleaner. That said, the way we do it (or pretend to do it) in the US is a joke, CAFE in particular. And as a poster above has pointed out, those ’70 junkers are a bigger problem than 100 Prii or whatever. I can’t blame CARB a bit for looking to regulate commercial vehicles as well, they’re part of the picture too. Probably the nastiest vehicles I’ve had the misfortune of being behind were ratty old dump trucks and school buses.
For all the complaints, it’s not like emissions regulations ever killed sports cars. Muscle cars, yes, for a bit, but now we have cars ever bit as insane as the Cobras of old that are many times cleaner. Heck, nowadays Camrys have 300 hp, so any claims clean means slow are hard to swallow. Besides, even during the purgatory of the 70’s cars like the original Datsun Z kept the flame alive.
I love cars, but I love breathing clean air too.
“cut the amount of carbon in their fuel, according to Nichols.”
i bet it does not even occur to most people that this “woman-like-thing” is a retarded human-hating scumbag.
As a resident of a state that is not California, I do not appreciate California’s power to dictate my state’s own laws.
This is crap. If I wanted to put up with this crap, I’d move to California.
Grr.
Heck, nowadays Camrys have 300 hp, so any claims clean means slow are hard to swallow.
Sure, people exaggerate, but there is a inverse relationship between fuel economy and power. Engines do improve over time, certainly; that’s why, as you note, cars have gotten more power without getting worse fuel economy than 15 years ago. Most improvements have gone into power.
It’s absolutely certain that these regulations will mean less power than without them. If engine technology continues to advance quickly enough (and the regulations aren’t too strict), then it will only mean a slowing in the rate of power improvements. If not, then we could actually go backwards in power.
It’s not going to be armageddon, but it’s equally untrue to pretend that it won’t mean less power than otherwise.
And of course the “flame will remain alive” because car companies will still be able to sell small numbers of powerful cars regardless; even if the average car has to slow down, those not in hoi polloi will be always be able to get more power.
That person cannot possibly be a representative of CARB. Where is the shiny red nose? And I’ll bet she isn’t wearing size 20 shoes, either. After CARB’s electric car mandate debacle, all agency representatives must wear a minimum amount of clown attire to satisfy truth in advertising requirements.
Or so I was told.
How about you vote them out of the union?
Oh, wait, aren’t they the economic powerhouse of the US, and about the only state aside from New York with a semblance of an profitable export market? Don’t the essentially foot the operating expense of several unprofitable middle American states?
Geeze, the California sour grapes would be enough to supply a winery. Which would be another world-class industry the US would have next to none of were California to go away.
Why is it that enviro activist public servants never look like Shania Twain?