Florida may become 12th state to adopt CARB standards
As the nation's fourth-largest state, Florida is about to take a big step forward in the war against car emissions, which might be a tipping point for the whole nation. It looks like Gov. Charlie Crist is about to join the CARB crowd and add his state to the list of those with limits on greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. Although we are waiting for the official announcement to confirm this news, a few moves by the governor's office seem to indicate that this is indeed the direction he will be taking his state. Florida would be the twelfth state on the list to adopt the CO2 limits set by the California Air Resources Board. The CARB limits call for a 30 percent cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2016. Automakers have fought these California limits as being illegal. They claim only the federal government can regulate fuel economy and think this is essentially the same thing. Considering its size and struggle with pollution in the past, the federal government allowed California to set its own emissions standards, and other states have been given the choice to adopt federal emissions standards or adopt the stricter ones set by CARB. It makes it tough for manufacturers to keep up when there isn't one set of federal rules, but California, for one, thinks moving on their own is the only way to get things to change.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
HotRodzNKustoms 2:51PM (7/13/2007)
Someone tell these ignorant SOB's that our cars aren't the largest source of emissions, livestock is, and tell them to stop attacking our cars!!!
Reply
ermax18 2:52PM (7/13/2007)
I live in Florida and voted for this guy. Man what a mistake. He messed with property taxes and now he is going to screw with emissions!! Yikes.
Reply
JIM IN TAMPA 3:08PM (7/13/2007)
Ermax18 . . . . You forgot to mention the insurance crisis that he's been uable to fix.
werepants 7:27PM (7/17/2007)
who cares if it is cars or livestock that creates emissions problems: just because one is worse doesn't mean we should ignore the other. i hope other states continue to vote this until it becomes a de facto federal standard. that will tell the auto companies to stop trying to use marketing to make up for undesirable, inefficient vehicles, and put all those ad dollars towards making us cars that are desirable and fuel efficient.
Reply
tks 3:31PM (7/13/2007)
For those who are interested, the Climate Policy Program at the New America Foundation (where I work) has an at-a-glance guide on which states are doing what:
http://www.newamerica.net/programs/climate/building_blocks/emissions
Reply
Brian Dreggors 3:54PM (7/13/2007)
I guess I'll take my car to my local vehicle emissions garage to get tested. I'll need a time machine first because we closed all them down fifteen years ago. Guess what, we don't even HAVE an air pollution problem.
Crist, you go ahead and worry about emissions and aligning Florida with the most contemptuous and illogical cabal of states in this hollow quest to better fuel economy and meaningless pursuits as such, restricting MY choice of new automobiles.
Meanwhile, DON'T enforce an impact fee for new residents and developers, DON'T invest in a high-speed rail network that would reduce interstate congestion, DON'T increase funding for effective road networks, and while you're at it, DON'T do anything else that may label you as an effective governor who is truly looking out for our future as opposed to the empty shill you're proving to be.
Reply
Bob 4:16PM (7/13/2007)
I agree Brian. It was a big way to generate revenue all around, which is why Crist is bringing it back to Florida.
motorman 4:40PM (7/13/2007)
how much does a Fla. NASA space shot contribute to the emissions problem ?
Reply
ermax18 6:40PM (7/13/2007)
Hahaha.. I was thinking the same thing. This whole man mad global warming thing is BS. There is no way to stop it. It is a natural thing. Even if we kill all living things and machines it is still going to happen.
Gerard 5:41PM (7/13/2007)
No one should adopt California standards on anything. California is an overpopulated, polluted, debt-ridden, mismanaged, illegal-plagued, politcally correct nightmare. Anyone listening to our state's attorney general would know that.
Reply
paul34 5:32PM (7/13/2007)
Well, at least I hope Florida remains one of the few free states - that is, where you can not get serious tickets or get your vehicle illegally impounded just for a minor, inconsequential mod like an intake or exhaust.
Reply
paul34 5:33PM (7/13/2007)
Well, at least I hope Florida remains one of the few free states - that is, where you can not get serious tickets or get your vehicle illegally impounded just for a minor, inconsequential mod like an intake or exhaust.
Reply
GatorLCA 5:42PM (7/13/2007)
Great....with high insurance rates and the housing market sucking royally, we now have to shell over more cash to have our cars inspected just to be able to drive. How about we deal with Homeowners insurance first, and a soon-to-be struggling housing market, Ace.
I'm regretting voting for this guy as well.
Reply
ermax18 6:50PM (7/13/2007)
It isn't even the cost of having my car tested that bothers me, it is the horror stories that you hear about in CA that I fear will be happening in FL. Like not being able to mod cars any more and as one other person mentioned, having your car impounded because it has an after market exhaust on it. Right now FL is a car guys heaven, no emissions and perfect weather year round. If we only had more twistys and elevation changes. :)
why not the LS2/LS7? 8:22PM (7/13/2007)
I live in California. The car inspections are no big deal. You just take your car to a place and they do a smog check. Takes 20 mins and $60 every 2 years. You don't even have to do it in the first 4 years you own your car. It's worth it.
As to the mods, it's a non-issue. What ever stopped a person from putting non-street-legal mods on their car anyway? And if you do, you're a million times more likely to get busted for having an exhaust that is too loud than one that isn't CARB-spec.
naggs 12:35PM (7/16/2007)
HAHA
just yesterday i was getting shit from somone in fla because i cant do what i want to my car because of emissions laws. im glad they got him too!
the air may be clean enough but its not dirty air that is melting the icecaps.
Reply
SteveS 7:51PM (7/13/2007)
Here in VT we've adopted the CARB standards and are being sued by the automakers (including Japanese) over it. It seems the automakers feel Vermont is more vulnerable than California because we don't have the money to afford all the lawyering.
I frankly don't see what all the pissing and moaning is about CARB. Reducing CO2 and boosting fuel efficiency is good for the environment and national security - seems like a no brainer to me, but maybe that is why I live in Vermont...
Reply
Afi K. James 8:57PM (7/13/2007)
That's why I'm no longer a member of both parties, both of them are about big business and big goverment, I'm a Libertarian.
Reply
evyr 9:22PM (7/13/2007)
Congrats and kudos to Governor Crist for leading FL in the right direction.
This is not a partisan issue. It is just the right thing to do at the right time.
Alternative energy will make the country safer and more independent from foreign oil.
An alternative.com opinion.
Afi K. James 11:30PM (7/13/2007)
Congrats and kudos to Governor Crist for leading FL in the right direction.
This is not a partisan issue. It is just the right thing to do at the right time.
Alternative energy will make the country safer and more independent from foreign oil.
An alternative.com opinion.
To Bad crist still supports Israel and this unnecessairly crappy war in Iraq and is part of the North American Union that would easily turn america into a third world country.
Kick both parties out of office.