What's New
Just a few days after President Obama's inauguration, he acted to cut America's dependence on oil by pushing for clean cars programs. The centerpiece of the announcement was a directive to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider a petition by California for the right to move forward on greenhouse gas emission standards for cars and trucks.
The directive marked a sharp break in the policies of former president George Bush under which the U.S. EPA had denied California and 14 other states including Washington, DC, the freedom to issue clean car standards stronger than the federal government’s. While the U.S. EPA still has to officially grant the waiver, a reexamination of the petition based on science will almost assuredly result in a positive outcome for the states.
