For over a year, governor Arnold Schwarzenegger urged the Bush Administration to approve California’s request to take action on the automobile tailpipe emissions waiver request.

On Nov. 8, a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was filed by Governor Schwarzenegger due to this waiting game that began in April of 2006.

“California is ready to implement the nation’s cleanest standards for vehicle emissions, but we cannot do that until the federal government grants a waiver allowing us to enforce those standards,” Schwarzenegger said in a press release from the Office of the Governor.

Because of the Federal Clean Air Act our state gained the right to make tough emission standards concerning vehicles compares to that at the federal level.

Also, 40 other waivers have already been authorized by the EPA for the state of California in the past 30 years.

So the main question that comes into play is what has changed now that the EPA would ignore a request promising to reduce greenhouse gases?

It seems now more than ever, the United States has been overly concerned with global warming.

Even President George W. Bush has vowed to take a stand against this problem.

Yet, doesn’t this current situation with the EPA and California prove otherwise?

There are currently 16 states that are considering adopting, or have already adopted these emissions standards, which have been calculated to compose 40 percent of the U.S. population. These states include Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Washington.

If so many states are willing to stand up for a stronger way to regulate the greenhouse gases that invade the air we breathe then why can’t an administration that’s placed in power to protect the interest of the people of the United States?

The Office of the Governor revealed that if these standards are put into effect, by the year 2020 the amount of the greenhouse gases eliminated would be the same as having 6.5 million cars off the road.

This number would grow to 22 million if these other 16 states adopted the same standards.

Twenty-two million; that number alone is unimaginable.
Furthermore, its estimated 11 billion gallons a year would be cut from use.

Is this not the most stable plan that the country could implement that would make the greatest difference?

There’s no other tangible plan currently that purposes such a change.
Average temperatures are rising, snowfall is being reduced, and the quality of the air we breathe is worsening.

So, why not put a plan into effect, which could begin to solve these problems?

Schwarzenegger also said, “Our air quality, our health, and our environment are too important to delay any longer.

Then in an article by the Los Angeles Times, the state attorney general of New York Andrew M. Cuomo said that the states are, “filling the void left by the Bush Administration’s refusal to protect the environment.

Now all that’s left to do consists of more waiting until someone decides to get their act together, literally.

Schwarzenegger vs. EPA round 2!