CARB Investigated Over Fuel Economy Standards
Filed Under: Environmental News, green automotive technology, Green Politics on November 20, 2011
by Scott Doggett, Auto Observer
A powerful Congressional committee is investigating the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for its “apparent violation of federal law” in the creation of fuel economy standards for cars and trucks sold in the United States for model years 2012 through 2025. California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa (below), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, sent CARB Chair May Nichols a 13-page letter Wednesday accusing her agency of using its authority to regulate tailpipe greenhouse-gas emissions in the state as a tool to force automakers to meet fuel economy standards.
The letter followed Nichols’ decision not to attend a voluntary hearing before the committee on the subject — a decision that clearly rankled Issa. “Although the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration voluntarily participated at the hearing, you declined to testify…and you did not proffer an alternate to testify in your place. Your refusal to subject yourself and your office to congressional scrutiny is emblematic of the core concern that many in Congress share regarding CARB’s participation in the establishment of fuel economy standards. Namely, many are concerned that CARB, as a state actor, is unresponsive to congressional concerns and unappreciative of congressional priorities,” Issa wrote in the letter.
The hearing that Nichols passed on was titled “Running on Empty: How the Obama Administration’s Green Energy Gamble Will Impact Small Businesses & Consumers,” a title that did little to hide Issa’s longstanding dislike of the administration’s policies and of the regulatory authority of agencies like EPA and CARB. The state agency, along with automakers, labor unions, the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency reached an agreement last year on setting fuel economy standards for model years 2012-2016 and this year on a proposal for 2017-2025 standards. CARB had a seat at the table because, under federal law, it has the right to regulate certain tailpipe emissions to protect the quality of the air in California. Other states have the right to adopt California’s standards and 13 — plus the District of Columbia — have done so. Together, they represent half the U.S. new-car market, a market the auto industry cannot afford to ignore.
