Editorial: Swanson's right to join EPA lawsuit

California emissions standards are a good step -- or would be.

Last update: January 11, 2008 - 6:01 PM

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YES, BUT NO

"We commend EPA for protecting a national, 50-state program."

David McCurdy, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers

"This decision is like pulling over the firetrucks on their way to the blaze."

Fred Krup, Environmental Defense

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Minnesota has entered an important fight at the right time. Attorney General Lori Swanson's announcement Thursday that she is joining a multistate lawsuit against the federal government over vehicle emission standards puts Minnesota on the right side in a struggle that needs to be waged and won.

The states are challenging the federal Environmental Protection Agency over its refusal to let California set tailpipe-emission limits that are tougher than the federal standards. Other states have gotten involved because, once California receives the waiver that will allow the limits, they plan to follow its example. Most have already approved the California standards, which would cut greenhouse-gas emissions from cars 30 percent by 2016.

Minnesota, by contrast, hasn't approved any such standards. Though the state has committed itself generally to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions 30 percent by 2025, it has yet to settle on a strategy to achieve that goal. A state task force is chewing on the question, and is scheduled to finish its work later this month. In a letter to Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Swanson said she was joining the California suit to "preserve the state's authority in this area." But it's also the right thing to do.

In rebuffing California's request the week before Christmas, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson pointed to recently passed federal legislation that would require an average fuel economy of 35 miles per gallon by 2020. (For purposes of comparison, California officials expect their standards to produce an average 36 mpg by 2016; Johnson contends that the California mileage won't be that good.) He objected to the idea of a "confusing patchwork of state rules" when "the Bush administration is moving forward with a clear national solution."

It may be clear, but it's not a solution. The federal numbers aren't good enough; the California numbers aren't good enough. There is no sure strategy that offers the kind of greenhouse-gas reductions needed to keep climate change from becoming a crisis. The California approach is worth doing because it's faster than the federal effort and more comprehensive. It addresses not just fuel efficiency but all greenhouse gases that come from cars, including from their air conditioners.

This is not the first time Minnesota has joined other states in working against climate change. Last November, Pawlenty led the way in establishing a carbon cap-and-trade agreement among nine Midwestern states and Manitoba. He and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle are hosting a clean-energy conference in Chicago next month. Such efforts demonstrate a growing awareness among the states that they cannot wait for federal leadership on this issue.

Since the Clean Air Act became law decades ago, California has had special status as a laboratory for fighting pollution. If the country ever needed such a laboratory, it needs one now. Instead of setting up speed bumps, the administration should get out of the way.

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