Governor Bill Richardson and the
governors of 11 other states sent a joint letter to President Bush today
expressing dissatisfaction with the Administration’s attempt through a
proposed rulemaking to preempt states working to control greenhouse gas
emissions from automobiles.
Those governors also sent a joint letter to U.S. Congressional leaders
expressing similar dismay. The other states include Arizona, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts,
New Jersey, New York,
Oregon, Pennsylvania,
Vermont and Washington.
“This proposal from the Bush Administration is nothing but a wolf
in sheep’s clothing,” Governor Richardson said. “To further
hobble a fuel economy standard that does not go far enough with language
preempting states’ authority to combat global climate change is folly.
While the Bush Administration is attempting to roll back progressive policies,
states are forging ahead. We will continue to show that you can take aggressive
efforts to address climate change while creating good, high-paying, sustainable
jobs for the future.”
“This rulemaking reflects the Bush Administration’s clear
disregard for the health of its citizens,” said New Mexico Environment
Department Secretary Ron Curry. “Greenhouse gas emissions from
transportation are expected to grow faster than any other sector in New Mexico. This
rulemaking could detrimentally affect the state’s ability to curb that
pollution.”
The rulemaking on Corporate Average Fuel Economy or CAFE standards,
which the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration proposed yesterday, essentially rewrites the Clean Air
Act and gives the federal government authority over greenhouse gas emissions
from automobiles.
That rulemaking contradicts recent court rulings. The U.S. Supreme
Court found in Massachusetts
v. EPA that the authority on which the states rely in regulating greenhouse
gases from automobiles is a “statutory obligation wholly independent of
the U.S. Department of Transportations mandate to promote energy
efficiency.” Two federal district courts also specifically ruled that
state vehicle regulations are not preempted by Congress’s improvements to
CAFÉ. “NHTSA has no authority to preempt states from regulating
greenhouse gas emissions,” the letter to the President states.
The governors’ letter to U.S. Congressional leaders states
the action by the “administration would directly usurp congressional
authority and patently subvert the clear intent of Congress in important
legislation related to energy use.”
The states intend to comment on the rulemaking and file a lawsuit
against NHTSA if necessary.
Contact:
Marissa Stone, NMED Communications Director
(505)
827-0314 or (505) 231-0475
