States sue EPA over California emissions decision: regulation of vehicle emissions, clean air standards at issue.
The debate over which direction the nation will take to reduce greenhouse gases--the leading cause of climate change--is in full swing, as more than a dozen states and a handful of environmental groups take the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to court. Following California's lead, 15 states and...

Emissions study backfires.
Byline: The Register-Guard A government-sponsored report released last week should make it harder for the Bush administration to pursue its retrograde strategy of preventing Oregon and nine other states from adopting tough vehicle emissions standards similar to those in place in California. That's not what...

We have ways to make you green ... five secrets of successful social marketing.
REFERRED TO AS a "mass persuasion exercise," Al Gore's Live Earth was by far the biggest, boldest and loudest environmental public education event ever created. Over 100 musical acts, performed on seven continents, attracted two-billion viewers within 24 hours. Undeniably, it was an incredible feat. But did the celebrity...

Let the lawsuits fly.
Byline: The Register-Guard If ever a federal agency deserved to be sued for failing to serve the American public, it's the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has stonewalled California for nearly two years on its request for a waiver allowing the state to impose stricter limits on...

It'll take gas to go to hearing on emissions.
Byline: Diane Dietz The Register-Guard Want to speak your piece on Gov. Ted Kulongoski's controversial proposal to sharply reduce auto emiss- ions? You'll have to burn some gas - and spew at least a little pollution - to get to a public hearing, because the...

Dear EarthTalk: how much pollution do motorcycles generate? Are there efforts to make them more eco-friendly?
Dear EarthTalk: how much pollution do motorcycles generate? are there efforts to make them more eco-friendly?--Matt Lackore, Rochester, MN Motorcycles typically get about double the gas mileage of even the most fuel-efficient cars--but that doesn't mean they are green. Despite getting 60-70 miles per gallon, motorcycles are...

The crafting of the National Low-Emission Vehicle program: a private contract theory of public rulemaking.
I. INTRODUCTION Under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 ("CAA"),(1) the United States Environmental Protection Agency ("U.S. EPA" or "EPA") is expressly prohibited from enforcing more stringent motor vehicle emissions standards until the year 2004.(2) However, Congress granted the State of California a preemption...

California's AB 1493: trendsetting or setting ourselves up to fail?
On July 22, 2002, California's state legislature courageously stepped deeper into the national economic and political minefield of automobile emissions regulation. California once again thrust itself into the forefront of environmental legislation by enacting Assembly Bill 1493 (AB 1493), a law directly aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from...

Make EPA do its job.
Byline: The Register-Guard In December 2005, California asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a waiver allowing the state to impose stricter limits on vehicle emissions as part of its landmark initiative to combat global warming. Nineteen months later, the EPA still hasn't given California...

Simple tips to a cleaner engine.
The Clean Air Act of 1999 (Republic Act 8749), requires all motor vehicles, whether old or new to undergo vehicle emissions testing prior to registration. The Clean Air Act sets standards for the allowable pollutant levels a vehicle must emit, given its size, weight and engine displacement,...