California Regulates Global Warming Emissions from Automobiles
Perhaps the most exciting victory for clean vehicles and the environment in 2004 was California's adoption of precedent-setting regulations on global warming emissions from automobiles. According to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the average reduction of greenhouse gases from new California cars and light trucks will be about 22 percent in 2012 and about 30 percent in 2016, compared to today's vehicles. Costs for the added technology needed to meet the rule are expected to average about $325 per vehicle in 2012 and about $1050 per vehicle to comply in 2016. CARB staff analysis concludes that lower operating expenses will more than offset the added technology costs of the new vehicles. Due to provisions in the federal Clean Air Act, other states have the ability to adopt California's standards, a major benefit given federal movement on climate change appears stymied by this administration. Eight states are poised to adopt the California global warming standard, and Canada is already looking into adopting complimentary regulations for its market.
