GM Looks to 'Policy Discussion' on States' Emissions Maneuvering
By Michelle Krebs January 26, 2009By Bill Visnic
So starts the auto industry's cautious waltz with the administration of new President Barack Obama.
Anxious to reverse negative environmental perceptions (most of them realities, to be sure) about the Bush administration, President Obama has instructed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make haste in deciding the case of application for waiver by California -- and 13 other states that have adopted California's auto-emissions regulations -- to regulate vehicular carbon-dioxide emissions.
Specifying allowable levels of CO2 has a different impact than regulating noxious emissions such as oxides of nitrogen, however. Because CO2 output is directly related to fuel consumption, states specifying CO2 limits different from federal standards effectively are defining their own fuel-economy standards.
Following the weekend news the Obama administration was holding the EPA's feet to the fire regarding the matter, General Motors Corp. on Monday issued a statement saying, in part, "We're ready to engage the Obama administration and the Congress on policies that support meaningful and workable solutions and targets that benefit consumers from coast to coast."
GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC are walking an extremely thin tightrope, however, in regard to their latitude to take odds with Obama or Congress. GM and Chrysler already have accepted billions of dollars in federal loans and are seeking more. And in grilling automakers about their current weakened financial positions, many lawmakers made direct links to the automakers' purported foot-dragging on introducing and promoting fuel-efficiency technology and more environmentally responsible vehicle choices.
Regarding the White House's upshift on California's waiver request, the GM statement continued, "We look forward to contributing to a comprehensive policy discussion that takes into account the development pace of new technologies, alternative fuels and market and economic factors."
GM and almost all other automakers have rejected California's efforts to regulate CO2 emissions, saying giving California and other states the power to do so will result in fractionalization of emissions regulations that will make it considerably more costly to comply.
The broad automaker stance has been that Congress already has adopted aggressive new fuel-economy standards that mandate all manufacturers' fleets average 35 mpg by 2020.
The proposed California CO2 limits would amount to de facto fuel-economy standards that exceed the 35-mpg federal standard.
LEAVE A COMMENT