Where do the California GHG tailpipe emissions standards currently stand?
DP: California’s current tailpipe emissions standards refer to smog-causing emissions. California was the first to introduce tailpipe emissions standards, largely because of the geographical location of Los Angeles. There was a lot of smog in the valley. When the American national standards for tailpipe emissions were introduced, California was allowed to keep its standards. Now California has proposed 2008 GHG tailpipe emissions regulations. Those regulations are not in effect, but California has put them forward. The automakers fundamentally believe that we can’t have a patchwork of standards from different states. So Toyota, Ford, Chrysler and GM launched a lawsuit against California. The lawsuit is ongoing, but in the meantime, the judge has stayed California’s ability to proceed with its regulations. Right now our eyes are turned to Washington, D.C., where regulators are developing a new national fuel standard. There’s lots of debate on it. It’s going through the meat grinder of t
