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Washington, D.C. - Rep. Peter Welch (VT-AL), Rep. Brad Sherman (CA-27), and 58 co-sponsors announced the introduction of legislation today to overturn the recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision to deny California’s request for a waiver to adopt stricter automobile greenhouse gas emissions standards.
With record high fuel prices and the scientific evidence of global warming overwhelming, the Right to Clean Vehicles Act will immediately grant California’s Clean Air Act waiver request, giving an additional twelve states the authority to implement tailpipe emission standards.
Earlier this year, Senator Barbara Boxer (CA) introduced similar legislation in the U.S. Senate.
Welch said, “The Environmental Protection Agency’s decision defied the science, defied the states, and defied common sense. With consumers feeling the pinch of record fuel prices and the evidence of global warming overwhelming, the Bush administration must lead, follow, or get out of the way.”
“It is absurd that we must stand here today to introduce legislation forcing the Administration to do what it is required to do,” said Sherman. “The President and the Environmental Protection Agency need to stop wasting the American public’s time and allow California and the 12 other states that want to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles to do so.”
The EPA denied California’s waiver request on December 19, 2007 after considering it since 2005.
The twelve states waiting for the EPA waiver include Connecticut, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. The Governors of Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Utah have also committed to the standards.
Original co-sponsors include: Reps. Peter Welch, Brad Sherman, Tom Allen, Howard Berman, Earl Blumenauer, Lois Capps, Dennis Cardoza, Yvette Clarke, Joe Courtney, Joseph Crowley, Susan Davis, Peter DeFazio, Rosa DeLauro, David Dreier, Keith Ellison, Anna Eshoo, Sam Farr, John Hall, Jane Harman, Maurice Hinchey, Paul Hodes, Mike Honda, Jay Inslee, Patrick Kennedy, Dennis Kucinich, Jim Langevin, John Larson, Barbara Lee, Zoe Lofgren, Edward Markey, Doris Matsui, Betty McCollum, Jim McDermott, Jim McGovern, Michael Michaud, George Miller, Brad Miller, Jim Moran, Chris Murphy, Jerrold Nadler, John Olver, Frank Pallon, Donald Payne, Linda Sanchez, John Sarbanes, Adam Schiff, Jose Serrano, Carol Shea-Porter, Albio Sires, Hilda Solis, Pete Stark, Ellen Tauscher, Mike Thompson, Chris Van Hollen, Henry Waxman, Robert Wexler, Lynn Woolsey, David Wu
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