In the wake of a proposal by the Bush Administration to require better mileage in new cars, California pledged to sue if the final standards prohibit states from setting more stringent greenhouse gas emissions rules for new automobiles. “This is a decision that will not stand,” said Mary Nichols, California Air Resources Board chair, April 23. “We will continue to fight,” she said of the preemption clause in the federal proposal. The Federal Department of Transportation April 22 proposed increasing the fuel efficiency of autos 25 percent between 2010 and 2015. “This proposal is historically ambitious, yet achievable,” said Mary E. Peters, secretary of transportation. Nichols called it an attack on state “sovereignty.” The federal proposal would increase the mileage standard for cars from 27.5 miles per gallon in 2010 to 35.7 miles per gallon in 2015. For light trucks it would increase the standard from 23.5 miles per gallon in 2010 to 28.6 miles per gallon in 2015. Under a California law passed in 2002, the state Air Board in 2004 adopted greenhouse gas emission standards for cars, but it needs a waiver from the federal government to enforce the limits. The Bush Administration has refused to grant the waiver despite a Supreme Court decision that carbon dioxide is a pollutant that can be regulated under the federal Clean Air Act. California has sued to overturn the Administration’s denial of its waiver request, along with 17 other states that plan to enforce the state’s standards within their borders. A hearing in the case is set next month, Nichols said. Editor’s note: For a more detailed report, please see our sister publication E=MC2- Energy Meets Climate Challenge. You can find it at energymeetsclimate.com