Jeffrey Klein
Political Buzz Examiner
1/6/2012
It seems like a day can’t go by without the Obama administration circumventing Congress and the rule of law–once again using their favorite “tool,”–the Environmental Protection Agency.
Congressional Democrats were unable to affect any legislation that would allow them to regulate the exhaust emissions and fuel efficiency of recreational vehicles and commercial trucks, like it has done since 1978 using CAFE standards on the automobile and light truck market segment.
So now, President Obama has the EPA attempting to use their heavy hand of regulation instead, according to Claudia Cowan’s FOXNews article today.
The new regulations require large trucks and buses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 percent, and overhaul engine design, starting with models built in 2014.
As a result, most operators will need to spend thousands [of dollars] upgrading their rigs, or buying new vehicles, whose prices start at $50,000 and go up quickly from there, depending on the model.
In a historic about-face, the large and powerful American Trucking Association is supporting these regulations. “We have never been inclined to be supportive of federal involvement and regulations in our industry,” said Bill Graves, president and CEO of the ATA. “But our experience in this case is one where we have to admit that the federal government did a really fine job of working collaboratively with all partners in this, to come up with what we think is a reasonable and fair rule.”
However, there is a group of independent California truckers, many of whom are also members of the ATA, who see the prohibitive costs for meeting these requirements…
The article continues at the Political Buzz Examiner.
