 Auto
 Emissions
 Dick
Cheney
 Stephen
Johnson
 Mary
E Peters
|
 Clean
Air Act
CLEAN AIR ACT News:
20080423
-
Mary
Peters - Covert
- Language
-
 Law
-  Politics
- Greenhouse
Gases - Clean
Air Act -  Environmental
- Transportation
- Auto
- Makers
-  Fuel
-  Economy
- San
Francisco -  California
-  Massachusetts
-  US
-  Global
-  Climate
- "Bush
fuel economy rules swipe at California." ... "When
the [Republican President] Bush administration announced proposed regulations
Tuesday to raise fuel economy standards for cars and trucks to 31.6 miles
per gallon by 2015, even some environmentalists applauded. But then they
read the fine print." ... "Tucked deep into a 417-page "Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking" was language by the Transportation Department stating that
more stringent limits on tailpipe emissions embraced by California and
17 other states are "an obstacle to the accomplishment" of the new federal
standards and are "expressly and impliedly preempted" by federal law."
... "California Attorney General Jerry Brown called it a covert assault
on California's rules. Environmentalists said the language will be used
by automakers in their legal challenges to two recent federal court rulings
that sided with the states." ... "The language showed that beneath the
bipartisan veneer of support for new fuel economy standards - approved
by [the Democratic controlled] Congress and signed by [Republican] President
Bush in December - the conflict is still raging between the White House
and the states over who will set the nation's first limits on greenhouse
gases." ... "Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, who announced the proposed
rules Tuesday, acknowledged that the preemption language was included in
the document." ... "The Supreme Court ruled in the Massachusetts vs. EPA
case last year that the Transportation Department's authority to set fuel
economy standards should not impede other efforts under the Clean Air Act
to reduce greenhouse gases." ... "[California Democratic Representative
and] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D[Democratic]-San Francisco [California],
responded: "The administration is continuing to block climate change progress
by asserting that California doesn't have the right to move forward with
its own global warming regulations. That is completely unjustified."" -By
Zachary Coile -SFGate.com
20080422
-
Smog
-
 Science
-  Elderly
-  Children
- Environmental
- Safety
-  Government
- Politics
- Fuel
- Industry
- Clean
Air - Law
- "Scientists:
Smog contributes to premature death." ... "Short-term
exposure to smog, or ozone, is clearly linked to premature deaths that
should be taken into account when measuring the health benefits of reducing
air pollution, a National Academy of Sciences review concludes." ... "The
findings contradict arguments made by some [Republican President Bush]
White House officials that the connection between smog and premature death
has not been shown sufficiently and that the number of saved lives should
not be calculated in determining clean air benefits." ... "The report released
Tuesday by a panel of the Academy's National Research Council says government
agencies "should give little or no weight" to such arguments." ... ""The
committee has concluded from its review of health-based evidence that short-term
exposure to ambient ozone is likely to contribute to premature deaths,"
the 13-member panel said." ... "It added that "studies have yielded strong
evidence that short-term exposure to ozone can exacerbate lung conditions,
causing illness and hospitalization and can potentially lead to death.""
... "Ground-level ozone is formed from nitrogen oxide and organic compounds
created by burning fossil fuels and is demonstrated often by the yellow
haze or smog that lingers in the air. Ozone exposure is a leading cause
of respiratory illnesses and especially affects the elderly, those with
respiratory problems and children." -AP
via -CNN
20080314
-
Political
- Government
- Environmental
- Air
- Science
-
 Health
-  People
- Farm
-  Land
- Animals
- Clean
Air Act - Law
- Industry
- Motor
Vehicles - "Ozone
Rules Weakened at Bush's Behest: EPA Scrambles To
Justify Action." ... "The Environmental Protection Agency weakened one
part of its new limits on smog-forming ozone after an unusual last-minute
intervention by [Republican] President Bush, according to documents released
by the EPA." ... "EPA officials initially tried to set a lower seasonal
limit on ozone to protect wildlife, parks and farmland, as required under
the law. While their proposal was less restrictive than what the EPA's
scientific advisers had proposed, Bush overruled EPA officials and on Tuesday
ordered the agency to increase the limit [of allowable air pollution],
according to the documents." ... ""It is unprecedented and an unlawful
act of political interference for the president personally to override
a decision that the Clean Air Act leaves exclusively to EPA's expert scientific
judgment," said John Walke, clean-air director for the Natural Resources
Defense Council." ... "The president's order prompted a scramble by administration
officials to rewrite the regulations to avoid a conflict with past EPA
statements on the harm caused by ozone." ... "Solicitor General Paul D.
Clement warned administration officials late Tuesday night that the rules
contradicted the EPA's past submissions to the Supreme Court, according
to sources familiar with the conversation. As a consequence, administration
lawyers hustled to craft new legal justifications for the weakened standard."
... "Ozone, which is formed when pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and
other chemical compounds released by industry and motor vehicles are exposed
to sunlight, is linked to an array of heart and respiratory illnesses."
(1, 2)
-By Juliet Eilperin -WashingtonPost
20080313
-
Stephen
L Johnson - Corporate
- Government
- Politics
- Environmental
- Air
- Health
- Science
- Clean
Air Act - Law
-
 History
- Vehicles
- Manufacturing
- Power
Plants - Children
- "EPA
Tightens Pollution Standards: But Agency Ignored
Advisers' Guidance." ... "The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday
limited the allowable amount of pollution-forming ozone in the air to 75
parts per billion, a level significantly higher [meaning more polluting]
than what the agency's scientific advisers had urged for this key component
of unhealthy air pollution." ... "[Republican President Bush's Environmental
Protection Agency] Administrator Stephen L. Johnson also said he would
push Congress to rewrite the nearly 37-year-old Clean Air Act to allow
regulators to take into consideration the cost and feasibility of controlling
pollution when making decisions about air quality, something that is currently
prohibited by the law. In 2001, the Supreme Court ruled that the government
needed to base the ozone standard strictly on protecting public health,
with no regard to cost." ... "The new pollution rules -- one of the most
important environmental decisions facing the Bush administration in the
president's final year in office -- will be a major factor in determining
the quality of the air Americans will breathe for at least a decade. The
standards, which are aimed at protecting both public health and welfare,
are designed to limit the amount of nitrogen oxides and other chemical
compounds released into the air by vehicles, manufacturing facilities and
power plants. In sunlight, the pollutants form ozone." ... "Johnson said
he did "what was required by the law and the recent scientific evidence,"
but his decision to set a lower but still less-restrictive limit than what
the EPA's advisory committees had recommended sparked a backlash from Democratic
lawmakers, public health advocates and his own independent advisers." ...
"Nearly a year ago, EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee reiterated
in writing that its members were "unanimous in recommending" that the agency
set the standard no higher than 70 parts per billion (ppb) and to consider
a limit as low as 60 ppb. EPA's Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee
and public health advocates lobbied for the 60-ppb limit because children
are more vulnerable to air pollution." ... "EPA and other scientists have
shown that ozone has a direct impact on rates of heart and respiratory
disease and resulting premature deaths. The agency calculates that the
new standard of 75 ppb would prevent 1,300 to 3,500 premature deaths a
year, whereas 65 ppb would avoid 3,000 to 9,200 deaths annually. " -By
Juliet Eilperin -WashingtonPost
20080226
-
Stephen
Johnson - Environmental
- Politics
- California
- Transportation
- Auto
- Makers
- Emissions
- Law
- Health
- Science
- Clean
Air Act -
 Enforcement
- "Documents:
EPA chief warned not to deny California on emission standard."
... "A Environmental Protection Agency official warned her boss, [Republican
President Bush's] EPA chief Stephen Johnson, that if he denied California's
bid to enforce its own tailpipe emissions rules, the agency's credibility
"will be irreparably damaged" and Johnson would have to think about resigning."
... "Margot Oge, the head of EPA's office of transportation and air quality,
also told Administrator Johnson in an Oct. 17 memo that "there is no legal
or technical justification for denying this," despite "alternative interpretations
that have been suggested by the automakers."" ... "These internal warnings
were included in EPA documents released Tuesday by [California Democratic
Senator] Sen. Barbara Boxer, the California Democrat who chairs the Environment
Committee and had requested the records." ... "Johnson turned down California's
request for a waiver from the Clean Air Act on [2007 December] Dec. 19,
after months of review. He overruled the recommendations of senior staff
members, according to several media reports, and the documents released
Tuesday provide some examples." ... ""The documents show the dedicated,
professional staff working hard to protect our health and our environment,"
Boxer said. "We see more and more evidence of Administrator Johnson ignoring
the science and the facts, and discarding the advice of his staff."" -By
Frank Davies -MercuryNews.com
20080213
-
Mary
E Peters
- Corporate
- Government
- Politics
- Trucking
- Safety
- Trucks
- Emissions
- Law
- Environmental
- Clean
Air Act -
 Union
- San
Francisco - California
-  Texas
-  US
-  Mexico
- "Greens,
Teamsters collide with Mexican trucks." ... "International
Brotherhood of Teamsters lobbyist Fred McLuckie thought his fight to keep
Mexican trucks out of America ended when Congress cut a pilot program’s
funding last December." ... "Instead, the veteran lobbyist is still in
the fight, after U.S. [United States Republican President Bush's] Transportation
Secretary Mary Peters continued to fund the program — a move many interest
groups and lawmakers say is unconstitutional." ... "“You never know what
to expect in this town,” McLuckie said. “It is certainly disappointing
that we’re going back at this program. Our immediate concern is that Mary
Peters isn’t following the law.”" ... "The program drew harsh criticism
from the Teamsters, citizen rights group Public Citizen and Owner-Operator
Independent Drivers Association [OOIDA], which have aligned to press safety
and pollution concerns with lawmakers. The groups say there is no guarantee
that the trucks are in compliance with U.S. safety or emissions standards."
... "“How is it that the administration can simply ignore a law?” said
OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer. “It’s frustrating and shocking
that we have such a clear and blatant violation of law by a rogue administration.”"
... "The Teamsters have also gotten support from an unlikely bedfellow:
the environmentalist Sierra Club. Greens are concerned that emissions from
Mexican trucks could cause El Paso, Texas, and other U.S. cities along
the border to violate Environmental Protection Agency regulations." ...
"“We think the increase of potential air pollution could put communities
along the border out of Clean Air Act compliance,” said Sierra Club spokesman
Oliver Bernstein." ... "The U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco [California]
heard oral arguments Tuesday over the plaintiff’s charges that Peters broke
federal laws and endangered American motorists by allowing the trucks on
the road." -By Erika Lovley
-Politico.com
20071224
-
Dick
Cheney
- Car
- Manufacturers
- Fumes
- Corporate
- Government
- Environmental
- Science
- Politics
- California
- Climate
- "Cheney
accused of blocking Californian bid to cut car fumes."
... "The US [United States Republican] vice-president, Dick Cheney, was
behind a controversial decision to block California's attempt to impose
tough emission limits on car manufacturers, according to insiders at the
government Environmental Protection Agency." ... "Staff at the agency,
which announced last week that California's proposed limits were redundant,
said the agency's chief went against their expert advice after car executives
met Cheney, and a Chrysler executive delivered a letter to the EPA [Environmental
Protection Agency] saying why the state should not be allowed to regulate
greenhouse gases." ... "EPA staff members told the Los Angeles Times that
the agency's head, the [Republican President] Bush appointee Stephen Johnson,
ignored their conclusions and shut himself off from consultation in the
month before the announcement. He then informed them of his decision and
instructed them to provide the legal rationale for it, they said." -By
Dan Glaister -Guardian.co.uk
20071219
-
Stephen
Johnson - Mary
E Peters
- Dick
Cheney
- Government
- Political
- Gas
- Auto
- Makers
- Fuel
- Economy
- Laws
- Environmental
- Health
- Safety
- American
- People
- Transportation
- California
- History
- Global
- Climate
- Clean
Air Act - "EPA
blocks California bid to limit greenhouse gases from cars."
... "The [Republican President] Bush administration blocked efforts by
California and 16 other states Wednesday to limit greenhouse gas emissions
from cars and trucks, setting up a political and legal fight over whether
states can take a lead role in combatting global warming." ... "[Republican
President Bush's] Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen
Johnson rejected California's request for a waiver from the federal government
to impose its tough tailpipe emissions standards. The other states were
poised to adopt similar rules if California's request was granted." ...
"The states represent nearly half the U.S. [United States] population,
and their laws would effectively require automakers to cut greenhouse gas
emissions nationwide, despite [Republican] President Bush's rejection of
mandatory national standards." ... "Johnson said Congress' passage of an
energy bill this week that raises fuel economy standards for all cars and
trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 made the state laws unnecessary."
... "California officials said they believed Johnson had long ago decided
to oppose the state's waiver, and said he was using the newly passed energy
bill as an excuse. Nothing in the new law prevents states from taking stronger
action, they said." ... ""I find this disgraceful," said [California Democratic
Senator] Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.[Democratic-California], who helped
write the fuel-economy law. "The passage of the energy bill does not give
the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] a green light to shirk its responsibility
to protect the health and safety of the American people from air pollution.""
... "It was the first time the EPA has flat-out denied a waiver request
by California under the Clean Air Act. The law gives California special
authority to set stronger standards because the state has a long history
of smog and other air-quality problems." ... "California officials complained
that EPA's decision-making process for the waiver was tainted months ago
when documents revealed that Transportation Secretary Mary Peters led a
lobbying campaign to urge lawmakers to call the EPA and oppose the waiver
request." ... "Automakers have been meeting regularly at the White House
to discuss the new fuel-economy standards. The Detroit News reported that
[Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney met with the CEOs [Chief Executive
Officers] of Chrysler and Ford this fall to try to influence the policy."
-By Zachary Coile -SFGate.com
200709025
-
Transportation
- Auto
- Industry
- Environmental
- Air
- Law
- Enforcement
- Politics
- Los
Angeles - CA
- "E-mails
show DOT chief fought state on emissions: Official
lobbied against letting California enforce own standard for tailpipe exhaust."
... "U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, with the knowledge of
the [Republican President Bush] White House, directed a behind-the-scenes
effort to block California's request for its own, more stringent tailpipe
emission standard, according to documents released Monday by a congressional
committee." ... "A trail of e-mails show Peters prodding her staff this
spring to persuade members of Congress and state governors to oppose California's
request, now pending with the Environmental Protection Agency, to enforce
its own standards. To contact members, DOT staffers used a list of congressional
districts with auto facilities provided by the auto industry." ... "Secretary
Peters "asked that we develop some ideas A.S.A.P. about facilitating a
pushback from governors (esp. D's) and others opposed to piecemeal regulation
of emissions, as per CA's waiver petition," Jeff Shane, Peters' undersecretary
for policy, told staffers in a May 22 e-mail about the California request.
"Esp. D's" meant "especially Democrats."" ... "In another e-mail, a DOT
staffer told Peters' chief of staff that Marty Hall, chief of staff at
the White House Council on Environmental Quality, was "OK with (the secretary)
making calls" to lobby Congress." ... "The e-mails were released Monday
by [California Democratic Representative] Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of
the House Oversight Committee. Waxman, a Los Angeles [California] Democrat,
said the documents, along with interviews with Hall and other staffers,
showed that "the administration is trying to stack the deck against California's
efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles" and that
"political considerations — not the merits of the issue" — will determine
EPA's decision." ... "California is allowed under the Clean Air Act to
set its own emissions standards if it secures a waiver from the EPA. At
least 11 other states are waiting to adopt the California standard, designed
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent from new models in 2016,
which has made this a major environmental issue." -By
Frank Davies -MNG
via -MercuryNews
20060622
-
Fuel
- Air
- Health
- Environment
- Law
- "EPA:
Special Fuels Not to Blame for Costs: EPA Report
Concludes 'Boutique' Fuels Not Culprit in Climbing Gas Prices As Bush Has
Suggested." ... "Facing growing public outrage over soaring gasoline prices,
Bush ordered the study on April 25 in a speech in which he attributed high
gas prices in part to the growth of special fuels." ... "But the task force
found otherwise, according to its report to be released possibly as early
as Friday." ... "According to a late draft, obtained Thursday by The Associated
Press, the task force concludes that suggestions of a connection between
boutique fuels and supply or price concerns cannot be supported." ... "The
state-required fuels "have served an important role" in helping states
meet federal air quality standards, the report said, and will be equally
important in meeting future clean air requirements." (1, 2)
-By H. Josef Hebert -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
20031203
-
-
-
-
-
- "White
House Seeks to Soften Mercury Rules." ... "The Bush
administration is working to undo regulations that would force power plants
to sharply reduce mercury emissions and other toxic pollutants, according
to a government document and interviews with officials." ... "The Nov.
26 document makes the case that the Environmental Protection Agency, under
President Bill Clinton, misread the Clean Air Act's requirements and that
there are less onerous ways to reduce the emissions." -By
Eric Pianin -WashingtonPost
20031118
-
-
-
- "14
states fight EPA maneuver that weakens Clean Air Act."
... "More than a dozen state attorneys general yesterday sought to block
the federal government from implementing a rule change they argued would
lead to more air pollution from the nation's power plants." ... "They want
to block the EPA's loosening of Clean Air Act regulations that would allow
older power plants, refineries, and factories to modernize without having
to install expensive pollution controls. "If these rules go into effect
even temporarily," said New York state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer,
"utilities will get the green light to spew forth pollution and violate
the clear meaning of a statute that has for decades protected the quality
of the air that we breathe."" -By Devlin Barrett
-AP via -Boston/Globe
20030501
-
-
-
-
- "State
of the Air 2003: Nearly Half the Nation at
Risk from Smog - Overshadows Temporary Improvement. American Lung
Association Forecasts Continued Unhealthful Air from Coast to Coast."
... "New York) Nearly half the American population—more than 137 million
Americans—continues to breathe unhealthy amounts of the toxic air pollutant
ozone (smog), according to the American
Lung Association State of the Air: 2003 report released today."
... "The annual report cites that moderate improvements in smog levels
are due to a break from summer heat, not air pollution cleanup activities,
further illustrating the urgency for Americans to fight for cleaner air
in the face of potentially devastating changes in the nation’s environmental
policies. The Lung Association anticipates increasing numbers in its 2004
report, which will include data from the hot 2002 summer." ... "The report
was released in the shadow of the Administration’s rollback of key Clean
Air Act provisions and additional proposals that would weaken public health
protections of that law, thereby denying tens of millions of Americans
healthy air for the foreseeable future." ... "The AmericanLung
Association urges Americans to contact members of Congress to
oppose any bills that would weaken the Clean Air Act and to contactEPA
by May 3, 2003 to oppose the proposed changes that would
weaken the New Source Review provisions. Americans can log on to www.lungusa.org
to make their voice heard to Congress and EPA on these critical issues."
-American Lung Association
-Action Network
Search
Google:
20021222
-
-
-
 OPINION
- "[New
York states Attorney General Eliot] Spitzer: Man Of The Year - Savior of
Capitalism?" ... "Using a New York state law, he
obtained some explosive internal emails from Merrill Lynch and secured
a $100m fine. This pushed a complacent Securities and Exchange Commission
into action, and finally yesterday Spitzer got the reward for his pursuit."
... "As part of the agreement forged with the Stock Exchange [full
details], the ten leading brokerages must pay $900 million in retrospective
relief, $450m to fund "independent" research and $85 million to "investor
education". The brokerages, including Solomon Smith and Barney, CSFB, Lehman,
Morgan Stanley and UBS Warburg, will not be allowed to reward CEOs with
IPO offerings, and must operate at arms length from no less than independent
analysts on each offering. (Since the brokers are still paying these independent
analysts' fees, it's hard to see how this cure will be truly effective.)"
... "But for the Bronx-born Spitzer, his legend is assured as a pugilist
populist attorney straight from central casting. He's taken on the mob,
the music pigopolists (for CD price fixing), low-paying employers, and
is currently suing President Bush for gutting the clean air act." -By
Andrew Orlowski -TheRegister.co.uk
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