On January 26, 2009, President Obama requested that EPA review the March 6, 2008 decision by EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson denying California permission to set standards controlling greenhouse gases (GHGs) from vehicles. EPA's February 6 release stated that "The Clean Air Act gives EPA the authority to allow California to adopt its own emission standards for motor vehicles due to the seriousness of the state's air pollution challenges. There is a long-standing history of EPA granting waivers to the state of California." EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson may have sent a strong signal to the scientific community in her statement on this matter: "It is imperative that we get this decision right, and base it on the best available science and a thorough understanding of the law." Ms. Jackson worked for the EPA for 16 years, before joining the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. She is known as a consensus builder and in her confirmation hearings said: "Science must be the backbone of what EPA does...". (Washington Post, January 15, 2009, Juliet Eilperin, "Nominee Signals Big Changes for EPA")
On June 30, the Environmental Protection Agency granted California's petition for a waiver allowing the state to regulate greenhouse gases, signaling the EPA's commitment to support innovation in green technologies. This new ruling opens the door for California business to ramp up development related to engine, fuel cell and battery design, along with innovations in second and third generation biofuels. It is also important to understand that GHG regulation efforts are not only centered around new technologies, but the ability to find those technologies locally in order to reduce GHGs produced during freight or transport.
As background, greenhouse gases trap heat, which would normally escape to space, in the Earth's atmosphere. GHG's have long atmospheric lifetimes (years) and therefore, can widely disperse over areas not responsible for those GHG emissions, while at the same time remaining difficult to remove from the atmosphere. The top six GHGs are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). GHG's come from several sources, including electricity generators, transportation, industrial, residential and commercial, agricultural and land use sources, such as forest management. Fuels - whether they are used to power vehicles, heat homes or generate electricity - are responsible for the majority of GHGs. Carbon dioxide makes up 85% of the total of U.S. GHGs, and 79% of that CO2 comes from fossil fuel combustion. (EPA Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, p. 99 (2008)).
The Obama energy team is uniquely positioned to request, receive and review productive input and valuable data from industry, states and the scientific community. A balancing act of thoughtful and comprehensive rulemaking strategies and standards put forth the EPA, coupled with continued input, data and partnership from industry and the scientific community, along with education of the general public on energy efficiency will help reduce overall GHG emissions, as long as the focus is on the science and not the special interests.
