An end to Bush-era 'No' on state emissions rules

Turns out California’s hunch last week that things are different in Washington, DC, might have been right on the mark: the New York Times reported yesterday that President Barack Obama is expected to order the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reconsider its decision barring states from setting stricter-than-federal emissions standards.

Obama did just so this morning.

California was the first state to propose such strong vehicular emissions standards and applied in December 2005 for an EPA waiver to enact its regulations. Under the US Clean Air Act, pollution regulations that veer from federal standards require the EPA’s OK first.

EPA officials denied California’s request in December of 2007. Following Obama’s inauguration last week, though, state officials sent a new request asking the EPA to reconsider its ruling.

While Obama’s order to the EPA doesn’t explicitly tell the agency to reverse its decision, that will be the likely outcome following a formal review, according to the New York Times article. Such a turnaround would give the regulatory green light to not only California, but to 13 other states that have proposed similar restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles.

Is that any way to treat the legacy of George W. Bush? Apparently, the answer is yes.