For Immediate Release:December 12, 2007 Contact: David Willett, 202-491-6919 Victory for California Clean Car LawSierra Club Calls on EPA to stop delay on waiver Fresno, CA: In a significant victory in the fight to reduce global warmingpollution, today the Federal District Court in Fresno dismissed the autoindustry's claims that federal law barred California from enforcing it ownmotor vehicle greenhouse gas regulations. In a 57-page decision, JudgeAnthony Ishii held that these regulations did not in any way conflict witheither federal fuel economy laws or with the President's power to conductforeign policy. Emphasizing that the Clean Air Act expressly authorizesCalifornia to regulate emissions that affect human health and theenvironment, Judge Ishii found that Congress did not intend that thisauthority be curtailed by federal fuel economy laws. Statement of David Bookbinder, Sierra Club Chief Climate Counsel “Once again a judge has found the auto industry’s desperate attempts tostay mired in outdated, dirty technology completely without merit. Today’sdecision is just one more reason why EPA should stop dragging its feet andgrant the waiver California needs to move forward with this vital tool tocombat global warming. “Just as we said earlier this year when we celebrated a similar victory ina Vermont court, instead of the automakers thinking of excuses, it’s timefor them to put their immense know-how toward solving some of our mostpressing problems. This ruling should compel the U.S. automakers to makethe kind of clean, efficient cars Americans want--the kind that foreignautomakers have used to surge to record profits as the U.S. auto industrybuckled under the weight of its gas guzzlers. This ruling is good for theenvironment, good for America, and, ultimately, good for the automakers. "It’s now time for the Bush Administration’s EPA to get out of the way andgrant California the waiver it and other states need in order to moveforward with these landmark protections.” Assembly Bill 1493, sometimes known as the Pavely Law after its leadsponsor, Assemblywoman Fran Pavely, would require automobile makers toreduce global warming emissions from new cars and light trucks beginning in2009. The Pavely Law is a large step in the right direction because itdelivers clean car choices for consumers, and encourages cost-effective,currently available technology to reduce global warming emissions. In2005, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers desperately sued theCalifornia Air Resources Board in an attempt to block the law. The Pavely Law has widespread support from Californians, a majority of theCalifornia legislature, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Twelve otherU.S. states and Canada are in various stages of adopting California'sglobal warming law. The last step to implement in the law is for a CleanAir Act waiver to be granted to the state. For two years the EPA hasrefused to make a decision on granting the waiver. ### - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp