Climate Change Malpractice

The Bush administration won’t lead. And now it won’t get out of California’s way, either.

THE INK was barely dry on the energy bill signed by President Bush last week when Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson used it as a wobbly crutch to deny California’s request to institute tough tailpipe emissions regulations. “The Bush administration is moving forward with a clear national solution, not a confusing patchwork of state rules, to reduce America’s climate footprint from vehicles,” he said. Bad call.


Carmakers understandably prefer the predictability of a national standard. But the alternative that the EPA rejected is no “patchwork.” California and 16 other states, including Maryland, want to set a higher standard. Together they account for 45 percent of the sales of new vehicles in the United States, more than the entire Japanese car market. Detroit could meet the standard, which would require more rapid progress toward higher fuel economy than Congress has mandated. It just doesn’t want to, and Mr. Bush is content to act as an enabler.

Washington Post