Draft House bill would ax California's new emissions laws

[n2doc]

Draft House bill would ax state's emissions laws
Governor blasts plan to stymie California from cleaning its air
Zachary Coile, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Tuesday, June 5, 2007

House Democrats, in their first draft of new energy legislation, would wipe out California's landmark global warming law -- despite their California speaker's promises that her party would use the state as a model to combat climate change.
The legislation would pre-empt California and 11 other states from implementing laws requiring automakers to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions across their fleets. The bill would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from granting the states waivers to put their climate change rules into effect.
California officials, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's top environmental aides, blasted the legislative proposal.
"We're concerned that Congress is trying to take away the state's right to clean our air and protect our citizens," said BreAnda Northcutt, a spokeswoman for the California Environmental Protection Agency. The bill "appears to be singling out California's climate action efforts, and the 11 additional states that have adopted our standards, and tying our hands."
The move was an ironic twist on a familiar story for California. When Republicans ran the House, they regularly tried to pre-empt the state's laws on food safety labeling, the minimum wage and consumer privacy -- and Democrats often cried foul. But this new effort is being led by some of the Democratic majority's most senior lawmakers.
However, the pre-emption plan might never see the light of day -- if, as expected, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and lawmakers from other affected states use their clout to quash the idea before it gets out of committee.
Pelosi was unavailable for comment Monday, but her staff termed the measure a draft that needed much more work.
The proposal was written by Rep. Rick Boucher, a Democrat who represents a coal-producing district in southwest Virginia and chairs the House Energy and Commerce's subcommittee charged with crafting climate change legislation. The full committee's chairman, Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., a longtime ally of the auto industry, also played a key role in putting together the new legislation.
Boucher's and Dingell's offices declined to comment on the proposal.

more at link

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/06/05/WARMING.TMP

[Eugene]

1. Pelosi backs state auto pollution rules

Source: Associated Press

Last updated June 5, 2007 5:37 p.m. PT

Pelosi backs state auto pollution rules

By ERICA WERNER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will oppose a proposal by
fellow Democrats that would block her state of California and others
from imposing landmark greenhouse gas reductions on automakers.

Pelosi issued a statement late Tuesday, a day after the measure tucked
into a draft bill by Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., came to light. Boucher's
plan drew angry opposition from environmentalists, California legislators
and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration.

"Any legislation that comes to the House floor must increase our energy
independence, reduce global warming, invest in new technologies to
achieve these goals and create good jobs in America," Pelosi said.

"Any proposal that affects California's landmark efforts to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions or eliminate the EPA's authority to regulate
greenhouse gas emissions will not have my support."

-snip-

Read more: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1153AP_Energy_Pelosi.html

[n2doc]

2. Good! Hopefully the Boucher bill will die then

Ca should get some benefits from having a local rep as Speaker.