Court rejects Bush truck fuel standards
The Bush administration must redo upcoming fuel-economy standards for light trucks, a federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled Thursday, as the ones it planned are “inadequate” and don’t take greenhouse-gas emissions into account.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, speaking at the Los Angeles Auto Show, praised the decision to reject the proposed standards, which increased truck fuel economy slightly, saying “the federal government is not showing any leadership” in fighting global warming.
Congressional Democrats and environmental groups also approved. The Sierra Club called the ruling by a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals a huge victory and “a stinging rebuke” to the Bush administration.
“I applaud the court for killing this regulatory turkey so close to Thanksgiving,” said Rep. Edward Markey, the Massachusetts Democrat who heads the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.
