Photo by dcJohn. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

The auto industry got some White House support this week in an ongoing legal case in Vermont over states' rights to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The White House filed a friend-of-the-court brief backing the automakers and asking that a federal judge's ruling granting states these rights be set aside. The Justice Department's reasoning is that since the ruling was dependent upon an EPA waiver that California had hoped to receive but was rejected in December, the ruling is invalidated. Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell disagrees and said yesterday that, "there's a long way the Bush administration has to go before they're going to uphold the validity of the denial of the waiver. We look forward to that fight," according to USA Today. You can find the administration's amicus brief here. Thanks to Jon for the heads-up.

[Sources: USA Today, Pajamas Media]

If you're at a loss to understand the complexities of the carbon dioxide battle waging in the courts between automakers and some states, check out an in-depth 2-part story written by Tim Johnson of the Burlington Free Press (Article 1, Article 2). Vermont is one of the states involved in the legal action that stretches across the country as some states want to impose restrictions on the output of greenhouse gasses.

While Johnson looks at Vermont specifically, the background information applies to all states involved. In Vermont, Johnson says the challenge of cutting statewide emissions falls on the transportation sector because it's responsible for 46 percent of the problem. By adopting California's strict emissions policies, Vermont hopes to reduce its contribution to greenhouse gasses. The legal battle builds over states' rights and EPA rulings. Basically, CO2 emissions can't be reduced unless fuel economy is improved. That could be a problem in Vermont where 62 percent of the vehicles purchased are trucks, SUVs and vans.

Johnson interviews numerous officials on both sides and scientists. His stories are well worth the reading, even if you're knowledgable on the subject.

[Source: Burlington Free Press]