VT to Join California Lawsuit Against the EPA

Vermont will join California in suing the Environmental Protection Agency over the agency's decision to block California's plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. The waiver, California, Vermont, and at least 14 other states were proposing to pass would reduce tailpipe emissions from cars, trucks, and SUVs by 23 percent by 2012 and 30 percent by 2016. The EPA denied the waiver last month - December. Consequently, Vermont's appeal, announced January 2, comes in response to this denial. If the waiver were to pass the result would be a state fuel-efficiency standard of 36.8 mpg by 2016 - 1.8 gallons higher and four years earlier than the demands of the recently federally signed energy bill. [Source: Burlington Free Press, Washington Post, Times Argus]