January 27, 2009From the Washington Post (01/27/09):

“In the long run, it’s best for American automakers as well,” O’Malley said.

Automakers in the past have not seen it that way and have filed at least three lawsuits in different jurisdictions to stop states from setting their own emission standards. “The suits are still there,” said Gloria Bergquist, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. But, she added, “We’re the first to say we would like to find a better way forward.”

Environmental groups argue that controlling tailpipe emissions from vehicles will do much to address climate change. According to the advocacy group Environment America, applying the California standards to the 14 states that have already adopted them will reduce global warming pollution by more than 450 million metric tons by 2020, an amount equal to eliminating all of the pollution from 84.7 million of today’s cars for a year.