Arizona Cutting Greenhouse Gases From Vehicles

Arizona Cutting Greenhouse Gases From Vehicles



November 2007 
 In the 15 years from 1990 to 
2005, greenhouse gas emissions in Arizona grew by 56 percent, the fastest 
rate of growth of any state in the country. 
In an attempt to limit this growth, the Arizona Department of 
Environmental Quality has begun its formal rulemaking process to adopt a 
clean car program with new standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 
from passenger vehicles, ADEQ Director Steve Owens announced today. 
The new rules are being developed pursuant to an Executive Order on 
climate change issued last year by Governor Janet Napolitano. 
The Arizona Climate Change Advisory Group unanimously recommended that 
Arizona adopt the new greenhouse gas reduction standards. 
If unchecked, Arizona's greenhouse gas emissions are projected to grow by 
140 percent between 1990-2020 and by 200 percent between 1990-2040. 
Roughly 40 percent of Arizona's greenhouse gas emissions come from 
vehicles.
  
"This is an important step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions in 
Arizona and is a critical element in our effort to address climate 
change," ADEQ Director Owens said. 
"Our goal is to have a formal draft rule proposed for public comment by 
the end of this year or early next year, and to have the final rule 
approved by late spring or early summer," he said. 
The rules will apply to vehicles beginning with the 2011 model year. 
Arizona's rules will be based on the Clean Car program adopted by the 
state of California. 
States are authorized under the federal Clean Air Act to adopt 
California's vehicle emissions standards once the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency has issued a waiver that allows California to escape the 
bonds of the more lax federal rules. The EPA has been withholding that 
waiver, and earlier this month the state of California sued the federal 
agency to force issuance of the waiver. 
EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson told the Senate Committee on Environment 
and Public Works in June, "EPA is following two separate tracks for the 
consideration of greenhouse gas regulations for motor vehicles." 
"As I have previously indicated in Congressional testimony," said Johnson, 
"EPA is working with its interagency partners to develop a proposed rule 
for the federal regulation of emissions of greenhouse gases from new motor 
vehicles. After considering public input through a notice and comment 
process, it is our intention to issue a final rule by the end of 2008." 
"Separately, EPA is considering California's waiver request for its motor 
vehicle greenhouse gas regulation, under the statutory waiver authority 
provided in section 209 of the Clean Air Act," Johnson said. 
California claims the EPA is deliberately stalling. 
In addition to California, 11 other states have adopted the California 
greenhouse gas vehicle standards. They are Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, 
Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, 
Vermont and Washington. 
Along with Arizona, at least four other states - Colorado, Florida, New 
Mexico and Utah - also have announced plans to adopt the California 
greenhouse gas vehicle standards. 

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