California puts limit on auto exhaust

phoenix22

July 23, 2002
The auto industry is promising to go to court to stop the state of California from implementing a tough new law designed to curb emissions of greenhouse gases.
California Gov. Gray Davis on Monday signed the potentially far-reaching piece of legislation, which aims to combat global warming by calling for emission standards that apply to new cars and light trucks beginning in 2009.

Davis, who signed the bill in a park in hot, smoggy Southern California, said the law puts the state in the forefront of a worldwide effort to reduce pollution while preserving the car-based mobility the Golden State's residents prize.

"Opponents of this bill say the sky is falling," he said. "But they said it about unleaded gasoline. They said it about catalytic converters. They said it about seat belts and air bags. But the sky is not falling. It's just getting a whole lot cleaner."

More than 10 percent of all new cars sold in the United States annually are sold in California, DaimlerChrysler AG officials said.

"This is the first law in America to substantively address the greatest environmental challenge of the 21st century," Davis said. "In time, every state - and, hopefully, every country - will act to protect future generations from the threat of global warming. For California, that time is now.

"The Department of Water Resources tells me that California's mountain snowpack, our state's greatest natural reservoir, is already less reliable than it was just a few decades ago. We know the costs if we don't act."

"We don't often have a chance to vote for or sign a bill we are positive will be remembered long after we are gone. We can be sure we will have earned the gratitude of Californians and other Americans who will follow us."

Davis also said the bill was specifically designed to minimize the effect on motorists.

Davis tried to mollify car-loving consumers, noting that the bill only applies to the overall average pollution from an automakers' line. He also said carmakers can partially meet the standards by reducing nonauto pollution, such as emissions from their factories.

The bill does not ban sport utility vehicles and other low-mileage vehicles. Nor does it set new mileage standards.

"We Californians love our cars," Davis said in comments directed at automakers. "Don't change our cars. Just change the amount of harmful emissions that come from our cars."

The legislation does not affect big rigs and other commercial vehicles that are a substantial source of air pollution but also a major economic player in California.

The auto industry, which waged a multimillion-dollar campaign to fight the bill, contends the California law will have little impact in reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide.

The only way to cut the greenhouse emissions is to raise fuel economy or significantly reduce the size of vehicles sold in California, the automakers insist.

Reducing the size of vehicles limits consumers choices, while any move to force an increase in fuel economy would violate existing federal law, said Josephine Cooper, president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.

"We expect to challenge successfully the implementation of this law in federal court," she said.

"Federal law and common sense prohibit each state from developing its own fuel economy standards. Because of the impact on the entire national economy, 20 years ago Congress reserved the issue of fuel economy standards to the federal government in order to balance all sectors of the economy and to avoid a patchwork quilt of state regulations," Cooper said in statement issued after the bill was signed.

Cooper also said the automakers are working on ways to boost fuel economy.

Automakers also have threatened to stop the measure by working to put an initiative before state voters.

Shad Balch, spokesman for the California Secretary of State's office, said the earliest a ballot measure could likely appear is March 2004.

Gee, I wonder how many $$ this will add to the price of the car you love?? Rolling Eyes

Jabba · Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2002 8:08 pm Post subject:

Most people don't realize that the modifications made to the vehicles for California, in order to meet their special requests, are also added to every vehicle produced! Why? Because it's cheaper for the car manufacturers to add those special features to every vehicle rather than re-tool and change the line configuration.
Which means we all pay for the, sometimes wacky, enviromental legislation that is crafted by the state of California.

Just you wait. Eventually California will mandate a vehicle free day, much like they have in some European cities. Meaning that you won't be able to drive your vehicle on a given day of the week.
Imagine the possibilities?
I am sick of California trying to force their views of how this country should be run through their wacky legislation!
God Bless America! Screw the Socialist State of California!

Snauzer · Lieutenant Joined: Jun 09, 2002 Posts: 187 Location: USA

phoenix22 · Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2002 10:44 am Post subject:

Great..........then the beautiful Pacific will be comletely polluted.........with fruits and nuts Laughing

fildznuts · Trooper Joined: Mar 23, 2004 Posts: 16 Location: USA

by 2009 you say, no problem. hell, honda will have ALL of their cars with hybrid platforms, and many suv and truck makers are planning to offer hybrid platforms as well.
and there is no way in hell, america will allow some senator to tell americans when they can and cannot drive. its just out of the question

Mariner · Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2004 10:22 am Post subject:

Just think, the root cause of this legislation in California came about all because of Los Angeles and it's location.

Geographically, LA is not suited to any fossil fuel burning devices. LA sits there sea to one side and mountains to the other. The whole place gets fogged out because of this. Gasses cannot escape and disperse naturally, as they cannot lift and shift. So, the legislature insists on containing or converting emissions.

This is to the detriment to the rest of the USA as it does not, as a whole, suffer the problems that LA does. What the other states suffer, is having legislation tailored for LA/California thrust upon them. Sucks, huh?

Think on this. A damaged or ineffective catalysed vehicle actually causes more pollution than a vehicle with no catalyser fitted at all. Fact.

k027 · Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2004 10:54 am Post subject:

Automobiles are politically convenient targets even though their overall emissions have been reduced by ~ 97%. The real uncontrolled man-made emission sources are diesel engines and commercial aircraft. A typical jumbo jet, during taxiing, takeoff, and landing, emits the same amount of nitrous oxides (NOX) as 40,000 automobiles driven one-mile.

Mariner · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 1:08 am Post subject:

Diesels are far cleaner than petrol engines. Co2 emissions are but a fraction of those produced by petrol motors. Don't have the figures to hand but it is so.

Only problem with diesel is particulate emissions. This can be remedied through the combustion process by multi-stage injection techniques and electric/ electronic regulation and metering. At the back-end, particulate filters allow nothing to escape. This has already been tried, tested and perfected.

Marine diesel motors are a problem as they are not subject to any one countries standards, their being in international waters most of the time. This is, however, being addressed. Shipping companies pay no fuel duty as in the air transport business. Introduce duty and the price of everything would rise so drastically that economies would collapse.

The real menace comes from aircraft. The problem being that there are no regulations on emissions and no levy on aviation fuel. Whack on some fuel duty and there would be an overnight clean up world wide. Of course, the industry would scream so loudly that no legislative body would act, as air transport companies could and would hold governments to ransom.

DeleterFX · Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2004 9:22 am Post subject:

wawadave · Major Joined: Nov 22, 2002 Posts: 916 Location: Canada

catalytic converters has the pope heard about this?? there going to convert all of his people he won,t be happy Evil or Very Mad


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